A Sense of Abandonment
by ChinaDollMaiden
Summary: Deidara finds an injured Sakura in the forest and brings her back to her father's village. 9 years later, Sakura is sent on a mission, and Deidara recognizes her. His mission is to capture her and make her the Akatsuki Medic. Will love blossom? DEISAKU.
1. Prologue

**Hello, ladies and gentlemen! For the longest time, I got tired of Amuto and Narumai. It's terrible, I know. So I decided to go back to my old friend, SasuSaku. All of them were so typical, so I switched to ItaSaku. I saw a lot of them that were DeiDaku Onesided. So I decided to try some DeiSaku. I FELL IN LOVE.**

**Most of my chapters are short because I don't have Microsoft Word on my laptop yet, so I upload a Fanfic Starter using Notepad, then write it here, on Fanfiction. I want longer chapters!!!  
**

**The pairing of DeiSaku needs more love, so I'm going to make as many as I can. Also, I'm setting up a schedule for updates, weekends not included:**

**Monday: The Counterblow**

**Tuesday: One Night, One Year**

**Wednesday: Uptown**

**Thursday: A Sense of Abandonment**

**Friday: BLANK**

**Friday will be filled in by a DeiSaku story, eventually. Also, agewise in the original manga, Deidara is 19, and Sakura is 15. So a four year difference. In my story (first chapter) Dei-kun will be 10, she will be 6. Anyways, time to get started!**

**Summary:**

**Deidara finds an injured Sakura in the forest and brings her back to her village, Konoha. 9 years later, Sakura is sent on a mission involving the Akatsuki, and Deidara recognizes her. Unknown to her, his mission is to capture her and make her the Akatsuki's medic. Will love blossom?**

* * *

"Owww!!!" a small girl cried. She lie under a tree, sweat running down her slightly large forehead. Her pink hair pooled beneath her head, and her jade eyes read pain. Her tiny red and white kimono had several tears and dirt spots. Blood oozed from a gash in her left arm.

It rained.

She began to fall asleep, tears running. Suddenly, the bushes rustled. She tensed, waiting for a dangerous animal to appear. Instead, it was a boy. He had long, golden hair in a high ponytail and a large portion covering his left eye. His remaining showing eye was a slightly dark aqua color.

"What's wrong, un?" he kneeled down to be at eye level with her.

She inhaled slowly and exhaled quickly. "My leg really hurts. I can't move it!" she pointed at her leg. It was twisted at an awkward angle and was covered in bruises.

the boy examined it thoroughly. "It's only a sprain, un. Good." He scooped her from the ground. "Where do you live, hm?"

"Konoha." she replied. He nodded, and set off in the right direction.

"How old are you?" He asked.

"Six." He frowned.

"Aren't you a little young to be wandering from the village, hm?"

"I wasn't. Me and mommy were going to visit daddy, but I got separated from Mommy." her frown grew. "Mommy!"

"Don't worry, un. We'll find her. But right now, it's pouring, un. Let's stop at that dango shop and take a break." They both walked inside the small shop. A middle aged woman smiled, and gave them each three skewers full of dango. Sakura happily clamped her mouth down onto a piece. The boy smirked, shaking his head.

"So how old are you?" she happily inquired.

"Ten, un."

"Wow! You're so much older than me!" she exclaimed. "Where are you from?"

"Iwa."

"That's where my daddy is!" she cried. "Maybe we can travel together!"

"Maybe, un."

Soon, the sun shone again. They headed out.

"Oh! My name is Sakura Haruno! What's yours?"

"Deidara. Just Deidara."

Sakura held out her hand to shake. He took it.

"Eh? What just licked me?" Deidara yanked his hand from hers, roughly shoving them in his pockets.

"It was my hands, un. Sorry."

"Can I see?" he shrugged, holding both hands out.

"WOW! Cool!" she shrieked as the mouths wiggled their tongues.

"You think they're...cool?" he wondered.

"Uh huh!" she giggled again as the tongues flicked at her face.

_'She's...different.'_

~*~

"Mommy!!" Sakura exclaimed, throwing herself in her mother's arms.

"Sakura dear! I was worried sick! Where have you been?"

"I got lost! But Dei-kun saved me!" she pointed joyfully at the empty spot where 'Dei-kun' once stood.

"Who, Sakura-chan?" her mother questioned.

"Aw! Dei-kun is gone!" she whined. "And he was from Iwa, mom!"

"Well, what did he look like, just in case we see him again?"

"He had long, pretty gold hair in a ponytail, and some was covering his eye. Oh, his eyes are a really pretty blueish! Oh, and he said he was ten. Oh, and the most important thing!"

"What, dear?"

"He had mouths on his hands!! It was amazing!"

"Mouths? You must have been imagining things."

"I have not!"

~*~

Deidara hid behind a tree, blushing madly.

_'I shouldn't get so attached! She's too young!'_ yet he found himself drawn to her more and more each second.

"He had long, pretty gold hair in a ponytail, and some was covering his eye. Oh, his eyes are a really pretty blueish!"

His heart melted at those words.

"Oh, and he said he was ten. Oh, and the most important thing!"

_'Uh oh...'_

"He had mouths on his hands!! It was amazing!"

She still thought they were amazing?

Just as she and her mother were leaving, he whipped out a sketchbook. He loved to draw, or do anything involving art. He quickly jotted down her basic shape and lightly shaded. He would make a beter one later. He leaped from branch to branch, making sure they got to Iwa safely.

Just as planned, they made it. A tall man with dark brown hair met the two at the gates.

_'That must be her father.'_ His suspicions were comfirmed when Sakura threw herself in his grip.

He waited a few minutes after they entered the village. He passed through the gates.

He pulled out the sketch and stared for a good five minutes. _'Sakura...hm.'_

He would definitely never forget her.

~*~

"Really, daddy, A boy helped me!"

"I see. And what did he look like?" he interrogated her playfully, handing her a piece of paper and some colored pencils.

"Like this!" she held out a chibi style drawing that, other than the fact that it was chibi, looked exactly like Deidara. The name Deidara was scrawled messily under the figure, with Dei-kun in parentheses.

"Oh, him. I've seen him around town."

"So he does exist!" her mother gasped. "Sakura said he has mouths on his hands. Is this true...?"

"Yeah, it's some special bloodline. Unfortunately, his entire family, minus him of course, died off from a mysterious illness. Now he's the only one left with the bloodline. At least that's what I've heard." he sighed.

"The poor child. Why hasn't anyone adopted him yet?"

"Well, every time they try to put him in an orphanage, he puts up on hel--HECK of a fight." he said, watching his language around his daughter.

"Hey, daddy! I never got to thank him for helping me. Do you know where he lives? Maybe we can surprise him!"

"Sure! Let's go now, sound good?" he suggested. She nodded excitedly, eager to see her Dei-kun again.

~*~

Once Deidara got home, he set his keys on the table, and was about to take off his clothes for a bath, when he heard a knock at the door. He hurried down the stairs, and casually opened the door, only to be tackled by a pink haired girl.

"Dei-kun!"

"Sakura?" he was almost scared at how she found his home.

"Sorry to bother you. She claimed you helped her when she got lost, and said she never got to thank you. Said you ran off. So I brought her here!" her father barked happily, thumbs up.

"N-no, you're no bother, un, I just never really got visitors before, yeah."

"Not even from Dei-kun's friends?" Sakura gaped.

"I don't have any friends." he mumbled.

"What!? But you're so nice, and a good person!" she exclaimed. She noticed his expression sadden, so she changed the subject. "Anyways, thank you for helping me!" she yelled, gripping him even tighter.

_'Oh my god, she's hugging me... what do I do!? COMPOSE YOURSELF, DEIDARA. Just hug her back.'_ he happily obliged.

"Oh, Dei-kun! Look!" she pulled out the drawing she made of him. "Hold on, do you have a pencil?" she begged. He pulled one out, handing it to her. She scribbled.

"There! Much better!" she held it up again. A keret **(A/N: Sp? Whatever, it looks like this: ^)** was put before the name Deidara, and on the other side, it said _'My friend'_.

Deidara nearly cried.

"I need that pencil back, I drew you too, un." he inserted with a keret _'My first friend'_.

"Wow, Dei-kun! You draw really good!"

"Thanks, un."

"Well, Dei-kun, I gotta go. We'l stay friends, even if we never see each other again, right?" she whispered, on the verge of tears. He was near tears as well, but nodded.

"Yeah, Sakura-chan."

They hugged one final time, and Deidara went back inside and cried.

He had fallen in love.

* * *

**SQUEEEEEEE!!! So adorable!! I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter!!! I looooved writing it!**

**So sad!**

**Anyways, I love to draw as well, so I'm going to work on drawing those chibis and displaying them on my profile! They'll be here soon!!**

**Love you guys!**

**~China**


	2. Capture

**Hiii!!! I know it's soon, but I love DeiSaku so much!**

**So...WHO HERE HAS HEARD DEIDEI'S ENGLISH VOICE!? It's so damn sexy, especially when he says 'hm.' Deidei IS sexy. *faint***

**But he belongs to Sakura! I cannot have! No matter how much I want him!!**

**Anyways, I do not own Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke, Itachi, Deidara, or any of the Naruto characters. They all belong to masashi Kishimoto. If I owned them, Sasuke would be dead.**

**Enjoy Chapter two.**

* * *

'Deidara...' Sakura sat at the desk in her room, staring at two pictures. One was the chibi drawing she drew of her Dei-kun. The other was a picture they took together two years after they met.

**_Flashback_**

_Sakura was visiting her father in Iwa again. It had been two years since she met Deidara. She walked down the street, heading to find something to do._

_**'Oh my gosh, Deidara, it's Sakura!!! Don't look now, but Sakura's back!'** He looked. __**'****IDIOT I said don't look!**_

_"Here's my chance to speak to her. After these two years, I'm still in love with her!" The perfect plan was beginning to spawn inside his head.__ 'Ok...here goes nothing!'_

_Deidara sprinted into Sakura's direct path, knocking her over and spilling his groceries on purpose._

_"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going!" she quickly explained as she picked up stray leeks._

**_'Excellent! Everything is going according to planned!'_**

_She looked up to see a golden haired boy, his head hung in fake pain._

_"Ouch. Watch were you're goi...ng?" He acted surprised to see her. "Sakura!?"_

_"Deidara!" They both stood up and embraced each other. Locals were giving the two strange looks. The two friends ignored them._

_Then Sakura took our her camera. "Hold still, Dei-kun!" he smiled for the picture.  
_

_The two strolled, hand in hand, down the streets of Iwa._

_"Ne, Dei-kun!" how he had longed to hear that adorable voice. "Are you a shinobi yet?"_

_"Yup! See?" he grinned, showing off his Hitai-Ate that he kept around his neck._

_"Wow! I can't wait to be a shinobi!" he smiled softly._

_"And you'll be the best Kunoichi Konoha's ever seen, yeah!" he assured. He flinched as she broke out laughing hysterically._

_"What's so funny, hm?" he smirked._

_"Y-your hands are t-tickling me!! Hahaha!!" He smirked, willing the two tongues to lick faster. After she settled down, she said something strange._

_"It's amazing that you have three mouths."_

_"Actually, I have four, hm."_

_"Really? Where's the fourth?"_

_"On my chest, un. Wanna see?" he teased._

_"Yes!" smirking nervously, he unzipped his jacket to reveal several strange markings around a line. Hesitantly, she reached out, her hand growing closer..._

_"Sakura-chan, I wouldn't-" he was cut off by a shriek of pain. The mouth on his chest had bitten down on her upper arm, refusing to loosen it's grip._

_"Sakura!" he cried, desperately pummeling his chest. Finally, it let go, revealing a bloodied arm._

_"Sakura, I'm sorry...so sorry..." he whispered gently._

_"I...have to go." she muttered. Deidara reached out to her, narrowly missing her wrist._

_**End Flashback**_

That was the last time she saw him. That gorgeous boy with the golden hair and aqua eyes. She missed him.

Another year later, she was informed that the boy was a Missing Nin. He was the only friend she had. The other children of her village mocked her abnormal forehead. Only one girl dared to befriend her, but they broke up. Over one pathetic, self absorbed, traitorous boy.

Knocks her heard at her door.

"Sakura-chan, Naruto-kun is here to see you." her mother called.

"Naruto? What is it?"

"Tsunade-obaachan has a mission for us! C'mon!" he grabbed her wrist dragging her to the Hokage's tower.

Upon arrival to Tsunade's office, Tsunade shoved a mission information scroll in Sakura's face. However, one thing in particular, caught her eye.

**Target: Akatsuki Members**

"The Akatsuki, huh?" she quipped.

"Yes, and your mission starts now. Hurry home and gather supplies. Shikamaru, Ino, Hinata, Neji, Lee, and Tenten will be accompanying you."

~*~

"Deidara-sempai, how much further?" a man with an orange spiraled mask whined. Deidara sighed. Being in the Akatsuki was not an easy task.

"We're almost there, Tobi, now shut up." He saw a girl with pink hair. _'Sakura...'_

"Tobi, you stay behind. It's too easy for them to detect us with both of us."

"Hai, Sempai!"

Deidara leaped, landing just under Sakura's window. He made sure she wasn't watching, then entered the room.

"Sakura, so nice to see you, after so long, yeah." She whipped around, grabbing a shuriken, but put it down when she saw it was 'her Dei-kun'.

"DEI-KU--" She stopped when she saw his cloak. Her hand found it's way to cover her mouth. "You...you're--"

"An Akatsuki? Yeah. Now, be a good little girl and come with me."

"No!"

He smirked. "Wrong answer, Sakura-_chan_." He teased, stressing the _chan_. He appeared behind her, knocking her out. He stared at herunconcious form, her peaceful face. She had grown so beautiful over the seven years apart. Her waist was slim, her hips slightly wider, and her chest decent. Her cheeks glowed perpetually a soft pink. Her jade eyes seemed to have gotten greener. And her silky pink hair now reached her waist.

"I'm sorry...Sakura-chan."

* * *

**I know, it was short, but Hey, I gave you a cliffy.**

**Enjoy that.**

**~China**


	3. A New Member

**Hey, I'm addicted to writing this. ADDICTED.**

**Anyways, tomorrow, my update schedule SHALL BEGIN. If I want it to.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Deidara leaped from branch to branch, carrying his first, and only, love over his shoulder.

"I see you got the target...good." A voice rang through the thick spread of trees and bushes. A tall man with long raven hair tied in a ponytail stepped from behind a tree. Deidara landed in the clearing.

"I did, yeah." he sighed, a sorrowful tone to his voice, hoping Itachi wouldn't notice. No such luck.

"Look, Deidara, I know she was your first friend, and you fell in love with her, but you need to put that aside. At least for now." he urged. Itachi could be quite comforting, surprisingly. Deidara only nodded solemnly.

"Now, give her to-"

"NO." Deidara's protective side took over, his knuckles cracking. Itachi chuckled.

"Fine. Just don't get too attached until she is a full member of the Akatsuki." With that being said, they flew off to relocate the Akatsuki base.

~*~

Sakura woke in a normal, but cold, bedroom. A bruise on her neck throbbed.

"My, my. Awake, are we?" a cold voice chuckled. She looked over to see a woman with blue hair and a paper flower in hand. "Sakura, was it?"

"Wh-who are you?" she shook with fear.

"Calm down, we aren't going to hurt you." she rested a hand on the frightened girl's shoulder.

All of Sakura's memories came flooding back into her mind.

"Deidara...where is he?" she frantically whipped her head to and fro. The blue haired girl smiled.

"I heard you two had a special bond. I just never believed Deidara when he told me about you. And after so many years!" she sighed dreamily. "Oh, I'm Konan, by the way." The two girls shook hands.

"You know, I never expected a member of the Akatsuki to be so friendly." Sakura admitted.

"Whatever. Tell me how you became friends with Deidara."

Sakura relayed the story of their friendship.

"How romantic!" she squealed.

"I don't think of him that way."

"At least you guys are friends, right?" she asked. Sakura's face was suddenly downcast.

"I don't think he's my friend anymore." she murmured.

"What? Why not?"

"Five years ago, two years after we met, there was an accident. You know how he has a mouth on his chest?" Konan nodded. "Well, he showed it to me, and it bit me. It nearly took my arm off." she shrugged up her sleeve to show her new friend the scars.

"I think he thought I didn't want to be my friend anymore. I did, though. I couldn't go to his house and apologize, though. I had to leave Iwa the next day. I only visited Iwa once a year, for my father. Now my father's dead."

"I'm sorry, Sakura." she hugged the melancholy girl.

"Then, a year later, after my father died, I got news that he was a missing nin."

"Well, maybe you two can make up!" she said, then said "Well...actually, I don't know...he's become so cold since your capture. Usually he jokes around and teases me." She shook her head. "Anyways, let's go get you acquainted with the others."

~*~

Deidara stood at the other side of the closed door. He was about to knock when...

"I don't think he's my friend anymore."

He hissed in annoyance and sorrow and sat back down at the table with the others. Ten minutes later, Konan came out with a frightened Sakura hiding behind her.

"Everyone, this is Sakura!" They all waved, then returned to their card game.

"That's Kisame, Itachi, Sasori, Kakuzu, Hidan, and Tobi." She pointed to a shark like man, the older Uchiha, a red haired puppet, a man with many stitches, a religious man, and a man with an orange spiral mask.

"C'mon, let's take you to our leader." she walked down a long corridor, until she reached a quaint door.

"Come in, Konan." a deep voice sounded. "I see you brought our new member."

Sakura's mind went blank.

"Her name is Sakura. This is Pein, but only I can call him Pein. Everyone else adresses him as Leader."

"N-new member?" she echoed,

"Yes." he confirmed. "You'll be our medic. Konan, please show her to her room and report back."

The two walked back down the corridor and up another.

"Let's see, the only free room is...oh no." she stopped.

"What is it, Konan?"

"A-ano...here at Akatsuki, we all pair up in our rooms, and the only free rooms is...uh..." she mumbled the name.

"What? I couldn't hear you." she was met with yet another mumble.

"Still can't hear you."

"DEIDARA!" she screamed.

Sakura froze.

"Oh hell no!"

"That's right, my little blossom." Deidara's frigid voice echoed. "Konan, I'll take it from here." he said, disappearing with Sakura before Konan could react.

They appeared in the gloomy room, and as soon as Deidara was sure the room was locked, she assaulted her, slamming her against the wall and capturing her lips in a passionate, sloppy kiss.

Sakura felt tears slip past her lashes.

_'This can't be Deidara...'_

After a few minutes, Deidara stopped, taking in her appearance. She was a bloody mess. her eyes were puffy from tears and her face was blushing madly. Her lips were sore from their kiss. And, as it turns out, he had literally shredded her shirt, revealing that she wasn't wearing a bra.

sakura sobbed uncontrollably, and stopped when she felt a blanket thrown onto her.

She looked up from behind to blanket, but Deidara was nowhere to be seen.

~*~

Deidara quickly masked his chakra. He rushed out of the room, stopping only five feet down the hall and slid down to the floor. He buried his face into his knees and sobbed silently.

_'Sakura, I'm so sorry. I never meant for it to be this way...'_

The first time the two had seen each other in five years ended up being a tragedy.

* * *

**Soooo sad!!! I can't believe I wrote that.**

**But don't you worry none, all you DeiSaku fans! More to come.**

**Hope you liked that!**

**Yours Truly, **

**~China**


	4. A Warm Welcome

**Ugh, I'm so bored with life. Isn't summer vacation supposed to be fun?**

**No matter. I have you guys.**

**I need some input here. I want a little onesided relationship in here soon. Chose between...**

**SasoSaku**

**HidaSaku**

**ItaSaku.**

**I refuse to do ZetsuSaku, KakuSaku, TobiSaku, PeinSaku, or KisaSaku.**

**I simply refuse.**

**In the next chapter, pay attention to the note at the beginning, cuz I'll show you the tally for onesided voting.**

**Hell, you could even vote for all three. I really don't care.**

**Also, if I make any of them OC in the slightest, let me know. I try to keep to their original personalities. Except Dei-kun, he's gonna be a lil OC throughout.**

**Also, I would like to thank my few reviewers for reviewing and keepin' my hopes up! This one's for you guys! I'm gonna try and make it a longer chapter.  
**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, but the story plot. All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.  
**

_**RECAP!!!**_

_**Sakura got her first kiss stolen by her old friend? And an Akatsuki, no less!? Life's a bitch. A cruel, conniving, heartless bitch.**_

**Enjoy~!**

* * *

Sakura awoke to see a slim, but toned, chest. She sighed closing her eyes.

Wait.

Chest? She hastily rubbed her eyes, ridding them of the morning crust. Yup, a chest. A tanned, well built, smooth chest that nearly has Sakura drooling buckets.

Nearly.

On the left side, a black seal-like tattoo was etched around a thin line. Lips. His mouth. She grimaced at the vivid memory. Hey wait a second...

Neither of them were on the bed.

She was tucked securely into his arms on the floor, sitting upright against the wall. She looked at her roomate's face and saw faint traces of wet lines trailing down his eyes to his chin. She looked down, blushing a cherry red. A six pac. He was practically perfect...in every way. **(A/N: Suck it, Mary Poppins!)**

"Like what you see, hmm?" he drawled, interrupting her thoughts. She blushed five shades darker. "I'll take that as a 'yes'." he teased. He couldn't help but notice her eyes had dark bags under them, and a sleep haze over them, but still focused.

"You look like shit, yeah. Go back to sleep." he said, earning a glare. "Alright, fine, I'm leaving." he gave up. Her expression relaxed, and her eyes closed slowly. He studies her features.

Her hair had certainly grown out, and seemed to be a darker pink that looked more and more like her name, rather than the bubblegum shade she had years ago.

Her skin was a pale, milky white, contrasting to is tan. Her long, strong and thin legs were perfectly shaped, and her fingers delicate. Her chest was certainly larger, but still modest.

She still sported her abnormal forehead, however less abnormal now than before. Her lips were plump, luscious and had a natural red-pink hue that complimented her features wonderfully.

And her eyes. Such beautiful, apple green eyes that, when the sun hit them just right, looked almost a honey gold. How he missed gazing into those mesmerizing, vibrant pools. She was now a fifteen year old teenager. And a gorgeous one at that.

He stood up, giving his crush one final look, and left the room.

~*~

Deidara sat at the table in the dining room with a bowl of cereal. He absentmindedly stirred the soggy pieces in lazy circles, his head leaning on his free hand. Sasori and Itachi were the only two others awake, and also the only other two men in the house, besides Pein, that knew about him and their medic.

Sasori was Deidara's very best friend, and his idol. Itachi was a good friend, but not as close as Sasori. Not that he cared.

"Deidara. I know you still have feelings for her, but whatever happens, you cannot let her get in the way of missions." the redhead reminded him.

"I KNOW, Sasori no danna. But...it's just so hard, having to put her through so much. And she hasn't seen me in seven years...it must be so overwhelming, and frightening for her." he ranted. "I can't stand putting her through this. It's unbearable!"

"You'll just have to find a way to bear it." Itachi finally spoke up, being rather talkative that morning. Probably from slight concern for his friend.

Deidara gasped. "What about Hidan!? What if he's an ass to her? A-and Zetsu, what if he tries to eat her, and...and--"

"Calm down. Leader gave them specific orders not to injure or upset her in order to gain her trust." Sasori soothed.

"So in other words, they have to be nice, or they answer to Leader?"

"Precisely." the stoic Uchiha confirmed.

"What the fuck is up with you guys this wonderful morning!?"

Speak of the devil.

"...good morning, Hidan, Kakuzu. Zetsu." Itachi greeted, being the only one at the table containing enough patience to speak some sense.

"As a welcome to the fuckin' group gift, when our dear little medic wakes up, she'll be presented with a fan-fucking-tastic breakfast made by all of us. Now get off your lazy asses and help out!" Hidan said enthusiastically.

Now, Itachi did kill his clan, was heartless to many people, and didn't care what people thought of him, but he'd be damned if he didn't have any manners. He stood up, pushing his chair back and heading into the kitchen. Deidara and Sasori stayed seated.

"HEY! I said get the fuck up and help, dammit!" Hidan repeated.

"Can't, yeah. Mission." he voiced. Sasori nodded.

"And since when are you so happy about the new member? I figured you wouldn't be nice until she woke up." Deidara said, suspicious.

"Dude, open your damn eyes. She's HOT." he laughed. Deidara clenched his fists behind his cloak, trying his hardest to keep his face normal. Sasori turned him around heading for the door, and exited. Not long after, Konan and Pein stepped from their room, soon followed by Kisame.

"I see our new member is still asleep." Pein droned.

"Give her time. She must be devastated, being taken from her home, her family and friends all in one day." Konan reasoned, earning a nod from her partner. Finally, Tobi emerged from his room, mask firmly in place...as hyper as ever.

"Goooood MORNING! It's a wonderful day! The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and everyone seems rather chipper today! It MUST be our new member, bringing such warmth to the Land of Rain!" he cheered. It was true, the weather was unusually pleasant.

"Speaking of whom, where is our new member?" he asked.

"Asleep." Pein droned.

"Oh, good morning, Sakura." Konan sang. Finally, another girl member.

"...uhngh..." Sakura mumbled sleepily, rubbing her eyes. But she was jolted awake by the orange masked Tobi.

"OHAYO!! My name is Tobi. Tobi is a good boy!" he yelled, shaking both her hands vigorously.

"Tobi, you fuckface, you're scaring the shit out of her." Hidan scolded. "What do ya want for breakfast? We're all pitchin' in to make it for ya, bitch." he asked.

A vein in Sakura's head twitched angrily.

"Hi-hidan..." Konan warned. Itachi butted in...politely.

"Ignore his language, Sakura. He always speaks like this." He assured. At that, she calmed down.

"AAAAnyways, whaddya want? Pancaked, eggs, bacon-" he was cut off as the word bacon was met with the happiest look she had ever used on her face.

"So bacon and...potatoes?" she grew even happier. "ALRIGHT, LET'S GET STARTED!"

~*~

After an hour or so, Hidan and the rest of the people presented Sakura with her breakfast, sitting down to enjoy their own helping of said food. Sakura stabbed a potato onto her fork, and bit down in an adorable fashion.

"Glad you like it, bitch." he said. She tensed, but brushed it off and continued eating.

"Finally a woman with an appetite!" Kisame exclaimed, giving her a thumbs up. She smiled whole-heartedly at the shark man.

"A-ano...where are Deidara, and Sasori?" she wondered out loud.

"A mission." Hidan answered lazily.

"Oh...well, it's a shame they couldn't join us for breakfast." Sakura sighed.

"Where are they this time, Leader-sama?" Tobi asked in his good-boy voice.

"Scouting the area." He lied. "They should be back later today."

~*~

Deidara sat dejectedly under a large willow tree far from the base, Sasori sitting beside him.

"It's strange that Leader gave us this 'mission' for your sake. He said you would need it." Sasori sighed. "And why are you so sad anyways? I would have thought you would be happy to see her again."

Deidara sighed. "I did something horrible to her last night, yeah..."

"Oh? And what is that?"

"I kissed her."

"It's just a kiss, not such a big d-"

"I practically raped her!! She must hate me even more now!" he cried, burying his face into his knees.

"I'm sure she doesn't hate you...she may want to keep her distance a while, but she'll come around." Sasori patted his partner's back comfortingly.

"I hope so, un. I...I don't want to lose her again, Sasori." he confessed. "She was the first person I ever met who accepted me, even with my mouths." he said, gazing at his hands, but glancing hesitantly at his chest. Sasori knew the whole story.

"If you're talking about that, I'm sure she's gotten over that at least. It's been years since that happened." he assured. "You musn't dwell on the past, Deidara."

Deidara sighed again. "I suppose you're right." They both stood up, heading back to the base under the stars.

~*~

"Hey, Leader-sama!" Tobi shouted. "We should have a party when Deidara-senpai and Sasori-senpai come home, for Sakura-chan!" Pein twitched.

"No, you really don't have to do that for me, Tobi. I was heading to bed anyways..." she said, yawning for impact. Tobi seemed to become sad, then perked up.

"Sleep well, Sakura-chan!" he cheered. She smiled, giggling while heading to her and Deidara's room.

Upon entering, she threw herself onto the bed, hugging a pillow and moaning unpleasantly into it. She heard a knock on the door. She opened to door to find her friend.

"Hello, Konan. What is it?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to go shopping with me tomorrow, seeing as you have no clothes." she smiled softly.

"Sure, Konan! Thanks so much!" she grinned.

"Goodnight Sakura-chan."

"Goodnight, Konan." she said, then grabbed one of Deidara's enormous white t-shirts that could easily act as a makeshift dress on her, and she drifted off to sleep.

~*~

When Deidara and Sasori got home, they were informed that Sakura was in bed again. Deidara was relieved, but annoyed at the same time. He headed to his room, and saw a beautiful angel sprawled diagonally across the bed, entangled in the sheets.

_'Stole my shirt, yeah.'_ he thought, amused. But she didn't have any clothes, so he would excuse it until she got some. He walked over to her side, sitting in a chair backwards, leaning on the backpiece. He reached over, brushing the locks of pink hair from her face.

'Sakura...please forgive me for what I've done to you...'

He got undressed and ready, then climbed into bed beside his roomate, letting sleep come over his senses.

* * *

**Ah, nothing like fluff in the morning.**

**Not joking.**

***fangirl squee***

**Ok, I'm calm.**

**Enjoy that chappie!!**

**~China**


	5. A New Style and an Old Friend

**Hello! I'm back! And happy 4th of July!!! I love this Holiday.**

**Anyways, I really don't get that many reviews, so so far the tally for onesided relationship votes are...**

**Itasaku: 1**

**SasoSaku: 0**

**HidaSaku: 0**

**But I'm giving you guys some more time. A few more chapters, maybe 3 or 4, should do the trick. Then, I'll make my decision. Personally, I'm hoping for either SasoSaku or ItaSaku, I always saw Hidan as an annoying older brother figure to Sakura, but it's up to you guys. And I'm also putting some onesided SaiSaku in here. I'm putting this fanfiction's fate in your hands!  
**

**Also, I was thinking of giving Sakura some special skill, like singing or cooking or dancing, or something cool like that. But not drawing, that's Sai's job. (I have a bit of a soft spot for Sai) Any suggestions?**

**Soon, I'll be putting up a chapter that gives us a bit more perspective on Deidara's past. Maybe next chapter. **

**And here's just something that's been pissing me off. Why do I find a ton of Sasori fanart, but his hair is silver or brown? His hair IS OBVIOUSLY red, people!! Am I missing something?**

**Psh. Whatever.**

**And I'm gonna give Sakura a good reason to stay in the Akatsuki willingly, having something to do with Naruto and her team, AND Sasuke of course. That bastard.**

**Am I the only one who hates Sasuke here? I hope not.**

**I'll let your imaginations run wild, but in the end, I am the one who chooses why she stays...or why she leaves.**

**Anyways...I LOVE YOU GUYS! You guys would make me the happiest writer on earth if you reviewed.**

**And this chapter will have lots about what's happening back in Konoha.  
**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the Plot. Masashi Kishimoto owns the characters.**

**_RECAP: Sakura got acquainted a bit more with the other members, and Konan is taking her shopping! YAY SHOPPING, BITCH. NAUGHTY shopping, that is...hehehe..._  
**

* * *

Sakura woke up, yet again, in the arms of her roomate. It seemed he had a habit of clinging to things in his sleep.

Light filtered through the blinds in the window. Morning. She squinted her eyes to see past the harsh light. She stood up when she heard a knock at the door. There stood Konan, ready to leave.

"C'mon, get ready! I haven't been shopping with a girl in a long time, and I'm excited!" Konan said, the words jumbled together. Sakura luckily managed to understand them. She giggled, highly amused.

Once they were ready, Sakura left the room, and almost everyone was awake, but Deidara and Kakuzu. Konan practically dragged her to the door and left the base.

~*~

"TSUNADE-BAA-CHAN! We can't just continue the mission without Sakura! We have to go rescue her!" Naruto belted at the Hokage. She shook her head, sending them away. Once they exited the building, Sai spoke up to the still seething blonde.

"Calm down dickless wonder. Sakura's strong. She should be able to take care of herself." Sai argued.

"No, Sai, she can't!! She can't take care of herself!" Naruto argued right back.

"He's right Sai." Kakashi sided with Naruto. Sai tensed in anger.

"Am I the only one here who has faith in Sakura!?"

"Sai, that's-"

"No, Naruto! You think she's weak, and you always have! Same with you, Kakashi! You always trained with Sasuke and Naruto, and left her in the sidelines!" he yelled. He pointed accusingly at Naruto. "Then you had the gall to leave her, just like Sasuke! Neither of you never once thought on how it would affect her!!"

The two men looked at the dirt path, ashamed. Sai spoke the truth.

"I'm the only one who saw potential in her, and now that the Hokage has finally seen it and helped her to perfect it, you all think she's weaker!? Bullshit!!" Sai screamed, scaring Naruto and Kakashi. They had never seen Sai angry, let alone furious.

"I don't care if you're a Jounin, or if you've been taught by Jiraiya himself, she IS stronger than you." he growled, his eyes burning bitter with rage.

With that, Sai turned on his heels and stormed off.

~*~

"Sakura, what do you think of these, huh?" Konan said, holding a very sexy bra suggestively.

"I'm sure Pein would like it!" she said, giggling.

"Not for me, silly. For you!" she grinned.

"Wh-what!? I have no use for it! When would I ever need it?"

"For Deidara, of course! When you guys make up and finally get together, you'll need it. Now, no more excuses, get in that dressing room and try them on!" She convinced, tossing other things to try on over the door.

"Hurry up and come out! I wanna see!" Konan called.

"I can't just come out! We're in public!" she argued. Touche!

"Alright, then, let me in." Konan commanded. Sakura obliged. Konan nodded in approval.

Sakura stood in a silk bra and panty set that had thick black and blood red vertical stripes, with thick black lace trim. But what peeved her was that Sakura used her long hair to attempt at covering her chest. She held a long pink lock in her pale hand, and stared for a long moment.

"The hair's gotta go."

~*~

The three remaining team members went their separate ways. Kakashi headed to his apartment, and Naruto headed to Ichiraku.

"Oi, Naruto! My best customer! What'll ya have today?" the man greeted him. Naruto ordered a pork ramen bowl and sat. The man running the shop usually struck a conversation, but he could sense Naruto's discomfort, and left the boy to his thoughts.

_'Do I really think Sakura-chan's weak...?'_ He gripped his cup of water tightly. _'I...I do...don't I?'_ he bowed his head in shame, resting it on the countertop. He lifted his head, then dropped it, causing it to hit the hard surface. He repeated this a couple of times until his ramen was ready.

"Naruto, what's the matter?" the shop owner's daughter asked, coming out from the back.

"My friend, Sakura-chan-"

"You mean that pink haired girl?"

"Yeah, her...she's been kidnapped by the Akatsuki. Sai, you know, the pale one, made me realise something...he made me realise that I think she's weak, and so does Kakashi-sensei. Even though she's been trained by Tsunade-baa-chan herself, I still thought she couldn't take care of herself." He banged his bowl down after slurping it, then left the stand.

"I've let her down. Weak is the one thing she's always hated to be called..." he whispered. He made his way to his apartment.

~*~

"Konan...I'm not sure about this..." Sakura said skeptically, clutching the hem of her skirt.

"Nonsense, Sakura. Now, let's go find you a new style!" she cheered, shoving Sakura into the hair salon. She personally knew the owner, who also happened to be a stylist, and set up an appointment with him at an hour's notice. When he saw the girl's flowing pink hair, he almost melted in his own happiness.

"Oh my! Darling, your hair is like every hair stylist's dream! Is this your natural color?" he bubbled. His own hair was classic, cut around the ears and low along the nape of his neck.

"Y-yes, it's natural." she replied, smiling lightly. He turned to Konan.

"So, what did you have in mind for the young lady?"

"Surprise us. You are the expert, after all."

"Wonderful! Just what I wanted to hear." he cried, getting his scissors out.

"Just don't dye her hair."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Sakura nearly fainted.

40 minutes later

Sakura sat in the chair, staring at her reflection. Her hair was now shorter, much shorter. It came only about an inch or two below her chin. It was combed in a way so that the ends spiked out slightly, giving it a messy but neat look. It framed her face perfectly. Konan slapped down the money and dragged Sakura back to the base.

_'Deidara's awake! Oh no...'_ she thought.

Sakura hid behind Konan half the time, but Tobi eventually pulled her from behind the blue haired woman.

"Sakura-cha-" he broke off after seeing her hair. No one else had noticed yet, until Tobi opened his big mouth.

"SAKURA-CHAN CUT HER HAIR!!!"

_'Dammit, Tobi...'_ she thought to herself, while trying to hide her face that was blushing madly.

The first to react was Deidara. Of Course. Then Sasori, Itachi, Hidan, Pein, then finally Kisame. Zetsu and Kakuzu paid no attention whatsoever.

"Sakura-chan is pretty!" Tobi ogled, causing Deidara to glare inwardly. Sakura's blush increased ten-fold.

While the others complimented her new hair, Deidara sat and sulked. He had already built a non explosive sculpture of her earlier, and it was already dry. Now her hair was different?

_'Fan-FUCKING-tastic.'_ Oh great. He was starting to sound like Hidan.

~*~

All members but Sakura and Deidara, who had no idea about the plan, agreed that after dinner, they would all leave the pair to themselves, and hopefully get Deidara to apologize for what he'd done to her. It was making him mess up on missions.

"Deidara, Sasori, Sakura, come with me." Pein motioned for the trio. They followed him to his office-like room.

Sasori and Deidara stood on either side of Sakura. Pein opened his mouth to speak.

"Sakura, you will be joining Deidara and Sasori on their team." he informed them. "I suggest you take tomorrow to learn a bit more about each other. You are dismissed." he said, waving a hand. Sakura's two new team mates nodded, and the three headed for the door, when Pein stopped her.

"Sakura, I need to have a word with you." She returned to her position standing infront of her leader.

"I know about your past with Deidara." he said. She gasped.

"How!?" she blurted.

"All members are to give any information on any relationships they have had. Just in case there's a mission involving the person that might cause the member to fault." he told her. She nodded in understanding.

"Does anyone else know?"

"Only three others know, including Konan, but I'm leaving it up to you to find out who else. Now I need you to tell me your more important relationships."

"Well, Naruto, the kyuubi vessel, is my closest friend. Second to him is Sai, and our sensei is Kakashi Hatake. Tsunade-sama, the current Hokage, is my teacher."

"Good. Anyone else?"

"Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha. He used to be a team mate, but he left the village."

"I see. If we sent you on a mission to capture or harm him, what would you do?"

Sakura pondered her reply for a good minute.

"I would follow your orders, be they to kill him, or capture him." Pein smirked.

"Good answer." He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring. "Put this ring on. It marks that you are an Akatsuki."

Sakura obliged, only to double over in pain and the justu took full effect, turning her nails a sickly black.

"Congratulations," he said. "You are now a full member of the Akatsuki. You are dismissed."

Sakura nodded, heading out the door.

After dinner, they all sat on the couch, minus Pein, joking around. Then they came up with excuses to leave the two alone, starting with Hidan.

"I have to go perform my ritual."

"Pein wanted to see me."

"Tobi is going to bed, goodnight, Sakura-chan, Senpai, Puppet-san, Itachi!"

"I'm tired. My sharingan wore out my eyes."

"I have to go count my money."

"I'm going to go work on a new puppet."

And Zetsu just left. He didn't need an excuse.

Leaving Sakura and Deidara alone. Well, sort of. Konan and Sasori hid, masking their Chakra and watching.

The two sat awkwardly for a long while. Surprisingly, Deidara, not being able to stand not talking to her, was the first to break it.

"Sakura, I'm sorry for what happened the other night, yeah. And about what happened all those years ago."

"Deidara, it's okay. You didn't mean for that to happen, and you warned me not to. And about the other night...I...actually...kinda liked it." she admitted, blushing and hiding her face.

Deidara saw this, and took her by the chin, slowly turning her tp face him.

"Why are you hiding such a pretty face, hm?" he questioned, and moved his face close enough to brush the lips. This caused her to blush a darker red.

And that's when their lips connected.

* * *

**Well? Eh? How'd you guys like it? It's my longest chapter yet, I do believe so!**

**I loved the ending. So much.**

**Yeah, I'm getting some early romance in here. Trust me, there will be more action later on (if you know what I mean OOHH!)**

**So don't forget to review and vote for your favorite onesided pairing!**

**Tune in, I may get another chapter up quite soon!**

**Chiao!**

**~China**


	6. Heartbroken Promise

**Ok, I know. I'm practically OBSESSED over updating for this story, and I'm DAMN PROUD OF IT. :D**

**I'm sitting here in the hospital. I fell off my bike and hit my head on the curb. Hurt like a bitch. Had to get 5 stitches in my forehead. It's not pretty, folks.  
**

**Ugh, I'm really tired. I went to sleep at 7 last night, and woke up at 2:30, and then I couldn't get back to sleep. But the celebration will wake me up.**

**As if the coffee didn't try.**

**Whatever, my stomach hurts.**

**I'm ranting right now. Cuz I feel like it.**

**Am I the only one who thinks that black people eating chicken wings all the time is a terrible stereotype? I think I am! What is this world coming to?**

**CURRENT TALLY:**

**ItaSaku: 5  
**

**SasoSaku: 2  
**

**HidaSaku: 1  
**

**ItaSaku is in the lead!**

**And we finally have some SasoSaku and HidaSaku votes!  
**

**You guys are making me sad with the number of reviews. But I shouldn't complain.  
**

**Anyways, with that on your guilty conscience, without further ado, start the story!!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or it's wacko characters. Masashi Kishimoto does.**

**RECAP: Sakura and Deidara made up! Should they tell the rest of the team, when most of them don't even know they had a previous relationship?**

* * *

Sakura was the first to wake that morning. That dreary morning. The first dreary morning since she joined the Akatsuki. And hell, Deidara had been enjoying being able to fly in the Land of Rain without his clay creations getting waterlogged.

But that's not what first struck her as odd. What did, however, is that they were both in bed. In each other's arms. Naked.

She quickly scootched back as far as she could, falling out of bed in the process. The loud colision of her ass on the floor woke Deidara up. He began to draw lazy circles on her calves with his fingers.

"Morning, sunshine." he said, slightly sarcastically. She opened her mouth.

"What...last night...then...you-"

"Don't worry, yeah." he said with a chuckle. "We didn't do anything." This was definitely a relief to hear. She wasn't quite ready for that.

Though, if she was, she was sure she would want it to be with him...

Wait, what was she thinking? That won't be for a long while!

"That is, unless you want us to, then we could get started _right away_..." he trailed off, smirking that sexy, melting smirk. She blushed at this remark, yanking the sheets from the bed and covering herself with them as she found some of her new clothes.

Somehow, Deidara was already dressed.

"I'll see you downstairs, _cupcake_." he whispered into her ear. "You should probably take a shower, by the way. I don't think you've had one since you got here, un." She thought long and hard about this. She wasn't a very girly, super feminine girl who couldn't live without a hot shower, but she wasn't one to turn one down!

She quickly stripped herself of all clothing, with was, haha, NOTHING, then stepped into the shower, turning on the hot water.

It was then she recalled all of last night's events.

_**Flashback**_

_Their lips connected. Not in a needy, rough way, but a soft, tender kiss. Deidara cupped both her cheeks, bringing her face closer. Sasori and Konan smiled, and snuck away before they were noticed._

_Deidara scooped her up in his arms, never ending the kiss, and brought her up to their room. He closed the door with his feet and shoved Sakura against the wall. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip, begging for entrance, which she happily granted._

_Sakura swiftly began to unbutton Deidara's black shirt, tossing it carelessly to the floor. She then discarded his black pants, leaving him in only his white boxers._

_"Not fair, yeah." he moaned into her lips. "I'm naked, yeah, and you still have ALL your clothes on. We'll just have to take ALL your clothes off, hm?" he teased, unzipping her blood red vest and sliding her black shorts down._

_There she stood, in all her glory, wearing the bra and matching panties Konan bought her._

_"Sexy, un...but in the way..." he drawled out sexily, slowly licking his way up her neck and ending in the hotspot just behind her ear. She mewled in ecstasy as he bit her lobe. He reached in the back, unclasping her bra and slipping her out of the matching panties, throwing them carelessly in any direction, them ending up landing on a lamp._

_Sakura threw her an arm around her bosom, and the other covered her lower regions. He smirked, gently grasping her hands and moving them away. His smirk grew._

_She was gorgeous._

_Sakura moaned as Deidara kissed and licked at her collarbone. His eyes travelled up to catch her own, but they were closed in pleasure. It was time for a few...experiments._

_He let his hands hover over the mounds on her chest, then gripped them as the mouths on his hands licked at her perky peaks. She gasped and sighed loudly, before letting out a blatant moan. He smiled as he licked behind her ear with his own tongue again._

_Sakura could feel a warmth pooling, coiling in her abdomen. She gasped when Deidara ground his pelvis into her own, heightening her heat. He kept grinding until he felt her trembling, and gave a final thrusting grind, causing her to release._

_Sakura moaned uncontrollably, arching her back. Her mouth was open and her eyes closed, head thrown back. She was exhausted, to say the least._

_**End Flashback**_

Sakura reluctantly stepped out of the soothing hot water. She wrapper herself in a large gray towel, then headed for her dresser.

~*~

Deidara and Sasori sat at the table, each holding a mug of coffee. Their team had no missions today, but were told to take this day to learn more about each other, for cooperation purposes. They both sighed in boredom. It would be a slow day.

"What's everyone moping around for?" a feminine voice with a brittle quality echoed. They both turned to see Sakura dressed more like an Akatsuki, but...sexier.

She wore a pair of black fishnet capris with black shorts over them. Her top was a fishnet 3/4 length shirt under a black tubetop. Her shoes were classic Akatsuki footwear, and her Akatsuki cloak was open, along with her black leather gloves.

Deidara ogled her new appearance, while Sasori ignored it. She sat at the end of the table.

"So. I guess it's bonding time. Yaaaay." she droned unenthusiastically. Sasori started with himself.

"My name is Akasuna Sasori. My skills are that I can control puppets with chakra strings. I have moderate chakra control."

"Any weaknesses?" Sakura chimed.

Sasori took off his cloak, pointing to a drum shaped cylinder embedded in his chest. "This is my source of chakra." he replied. Sakura has somehow already gained his full trust, which it took Deidara months to earn. Deidara was next.

"My name is Deidara. Just Deidara. My skills are that I can create clay sculptures, and use chakra to detonate them. My weakness is...YOU, SAKURA-CHAN!" he screamed, tackling her. She pushed him off.

"My name is Haruno Sakura. My skills lie in healing, and chakra based combat. I also have extreme strength. I have perfect chakra control. My weaknesses are my emotions, and my temper." she stated in a matter-of-fact tone. Sasori nodded, while Deidara's gaze lingered a bit longer than she was comfortable with. Just then, Tobi burst through the doors.

"LEADER-SAMA JUST TOLD ME WE'RE ALL GOING TO THE FESTIVAL!!!"

"Sakura-chan, let's go together, yeah!" Deidara sang, linking arms with her.

"B-but I don't have a kimono!!"

"Leader had one made for you!"

A few hours later, it was dark. The weather was wonderful. Perfect weather for the festival. Deidara and all the other men stood waiting for Sakura and Konan. Konan came down first. She spun, modeling her blue kimono with silver koi fish swimming lively across, a silver obi wrapper around her waist. Her hair was pulled into a bun with silver chopsticks running through it, from the tips dangled beautifully intricate blue beads. She stood silently by Pein's side.

Sakura came just minutes after. She wore a snow white kimono with sakura petals dancing from a sakura tree with a black trunk, a matching pink obi tied around her waist. Her hair was pulled into a slightly messy side bun with a pair of black chopsticks that dangled tiny sakura ornaments from the tips.

Deidara knew this Kimono had some meaning. It was a replica of the Kimono she wore the day they met in the forest. How Leader had found this out and created one that would fit her was beyond him, but he was too stunned by her beauty to care. Sakura trotted over and latched herself to Deidara's arm.

~*~

The Akatsuki happily walked down the many aisles of stands, playing games, ordering foods, and just letting loose. The men decided to have a competition at the gun shooting game. Somehow, fate decided to shit them, and Tobi won. The stand runner gave him a choice between a giant bird and a bear. He chose the bird, to 'remind him of his Senpai when he's on a mission.'

Sakura and Konan wne toff on their own for a while. They ordered Takoyaki, Taiyaki, Okonomiyaki, and many varieties of dango.

After an hour, they returned to their partners. Sakura sighed, taking in the excitement of the festival. The colorful paper lanterns, the people, the food, the games...

She had never felt so alive.

Sakura was jerked from her dream like state by Sasori and Deidara.

"Sakura, the dances are about to begin. We need to catch up with the others." Sasori informed her. They hurried and found seats not far from Kisame and Itachi. Sakura felt happy with Deidara on her left side, and Sasori on her right. Not long after they sa, the announcer stepped onto the stage.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to this year's annual Autumn Festival! We thank you for coming and hope you enjoyed our first day of the Festival. Now, without further ado, we will begin our Japanese Traditional Dance Show with the Tamasaburo dance of Kabuki!" She shouted to the audience. She scurried off the stage, and three petite women took her place, wearing geisha kimonos and carrying chinese paper fans.

The lights dimmed around them, but brightened around the three dancers. The shamisen plinked the first note. The three women, prevously kneeling, now stood gracefully and opened their fans.

The dance told a story of a Geisha who wondered about love. She would ask about the strange emotion, but none heard her voice. The womens' downcast expressions told the audience they were sad. The women slowly moved their fans sideways as the kokyu whined pleasantly.

They partially hid their paper-white faces behind their fans modestly. Deidara and Sasori took special interest int he dance. They both considered dancing and music to be forms of art.

The women slowly turned themselves around in a cirlce, maneuvering their fans masterfully. The lights were put out on the two girls on the side, causing the crowd to focus of the woman in the center. She slowly kneeled, acting as if in pain, and dropped her fan. She looked up at an imaginary dance partner.

She simulated putting up a mosquito net around their bed, then using her fan to simulate lifting one end of the net and joining her lover. She silently dropped her fan, then lay down, he face hidden beneath her arms. The light shining down on her was gone, and the dance was over. The audience roared with applause.

The Kabuki dance was followed by the Noh Mai, Bon Odori, and the Nihon Buyo dances. The Akatsuki left, as it was growing dark.

Sakura and Deidara walked hand in hand, and stopped near the base. Sasori caught them in the corner of his eye.

"Deidara...?"

"I just need to have a word with Sakura, un." Deidara reassured. Sasori looked skeptical, but walked on without them nonetheless.

"Sakura...you're my friend, right?" he asked hesitantly. She nodded vigorously.

"Of course, Dei-kun! You're my very best friend!" she said, grinning childishly. He looked to the side, blushing furiously.

"Well, I was wondering...if maybe...we could be m-more than just friends?" he stammered. She blushed twice as hard.

"Deida-" she was cut off by her old team mate.

"Sa...Sakura?" sais girl turned to see a paper-white face.

Sai.

His usually emotionless face was now overflowing with confusion, anger...sadness?

"Sai..." she whispered. The air was forced from her lungs as Sai trapped her in a bonecrushing hug, Deidara tensing.

"I was so worried. You have no idea how much EVERYONE has worried!" his words tumbled from his mouth. He had never talked so much without insulting someone before. Deidara clenched his fists.

Suddenly, Sai began telling her about how Naruto and Kakashi thought she was weak, and how he defended her.

"Th-thank you, Sai..."

"Now, let's go back to Konoha. Tsunade-sama will be so-"

"I'm not leaving." she cut him off. He froze in his tracks. He abruptly turned around.

"What!? Why not?" He almost screamed.

"I...I'm happy here. Happier than in Konoha. I love Konoha, and all my friends...and I'll miss them. But I was always ignored. Tossed aside." she cried. It was hard, saying no to Sai. Her best friend.

"But Sakura...We love you in Konoha...I LOVE YOU!" he yelled. Sakura's head snapped up. She stared into his deep black pools. She felt the tears, she felt them falling.

She did nothing to stop them.

"I'm sorry, Sai. I care for you...so much...but I think I belong here." She stood, shaking in the wind. Sai had his face down, covered by his short ebony hair. The three stood there for a long, agonizingly slow 7 minutes.

He sighed.

"I can see that I can't change your mind, Sakura." he said, smiling sadly. "But...promise me." he demanded, now turning to Deidara. "Promise me you'll make her happy." Sai had seen the look of adoration in the two's eyes. The two men stood, hair blowing dramatically in the wind. Deidara's eyes narrowed slightly.

"I promise."

With that, Sai smiled, and turned to leave. He wlaked a few steps when Sakura ran up behind him and hugged him. Sai managed to turn himself around in the death grip, and he grabbed her by the chin, bringing her lips to his own.

Deidara visibly seethed with anger, but it was put in check by his logical, more sympathetic side.

_'They'll probably never see each other again. Let them have this moment.'_

The chaste, passionate kiss ended, and Sai turned, but didn't walk.

"I will not tell Tsunade where yoru base is. For Sakura's sake." he turned his head to face her. "Goodbye...beautiful cherry blossom." a single tear slid down his face, as he ran off.

Sakura's trembling grew worse, and her knees buckled. Her legs crumbled from underneath her, and her head hung low. Her shoulders quivered. Deidara quickly crafted a clay bird and scooped Sakura into his arms. They both mounted the avion creature and headed to base.

Sakura clenched her fists around Deidara's Kimono, buring her face into his chest. She wailed pitifully into him. He could only gently stroke her back and offer his comfort.

When they returned to base, Sakura had fallen asleep. He carried her bridal style up the stairs, and got her kimono off her. He noticed a long, deep scar running from her left shoulder, down her back and to her right hip. He had never noticed it before. He slipped one of his t-shirts on her, and lay beside her, hoping tomorrow would be a better day.

Praying.

* * *

**Poor Sai!**

**Warning!!! Sooner or later, there will be characterdeath in here!!!**

**I'm freezing in this damn hospital, they don't give me good blankets.**

**I'm upset.**

**Well, anyways, hope you enjoyed that!**

**~China**


	7. The Fight Between Old Friends

**Hello again. I learned that I'll be out of the hospital in a week.  
**

**THAT'S TOO BLOODY LONG.**

**I'm just glad my sister was nice enough to sneak my laptop in here for me. I was getting really bored.**

**OK VOTE COUNT.**

**ItaSaku: 5**

**SasoSaku: 2**

**HidaSaku: 3**

**ItaSaku is still leading, with HidaSaku catching up with SasoSaku in tow!!  
**

**I hate this. It's summer and I'm cooped up in this creepy white hospital room. I wanna go to the beach!!**

**Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed last chapter. It took me a whole week to do it, pretty much.**

**By the way, I hate babysitting. I don't like small children. They're kinda creepy to me. Don't ask me why, I have no idea.**

**Ok, so my sister's cellphone rang, and she was asleep. I didn't hear it, but apparently it did. So she comes and yells at me when she misses a call saying "People were calling you, why the hell didn't you pick up!?"**

**It's her damn phone.**

**So yesterday is the first time I ever saw Madea's Family Reunion. (BEFORE OR AFTER HIS FUNERAL!?) And my sister made me watch Hide and Seek, but I ignored it most of the time. I never wanted to see that movie, and she couldn't get it through her fat head.**

**And she calls me dumb.**

**God, I'm starving.**

**SOMEONE FEED ME.**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. Masashi Kishimoto owns everything but the plot.**

**RECAP: Sakura made her decision to stay in the Akatsuki, and Sai took his last moment with her to...make out? Aw, hell, why not?**

* * *

Sakura woke to find empty space.

She got up and took the t-shirt off, heading for the shower. She pulled back the curtain to reveal...

A wet.

Naked.

Deidara.

So she did what any other normal teenager would have done.

Scream.

But Deidara just pulled her into his slightly chiseled chest and let his hands roam. She struggled to escape, but to no avail. Just as she relaxed, she felt a tongue lapping at her chest. she snapped her eyes open and looked down. The mouth on his chest was open, and the tongue ran over her mounds. And _damn_, was it turning her on.

But he didn't need to know that.

She shoved him away, stepping out of the shower, opting to wash her hair in the sink.

"Nice try, Deidara."

"Aw, not in the mood?"

"Naw." she said, causing Deidara to frown. He shrugged his shoulders in defeat.

"Fine. But you know, I'll get you later..." he growled seductively.

"I'm sure."

After they got cleaned up, they received word that they were assigned a mission...along with the whole of the Akatsuki, aside from Zetsu and Kakuzu, who would watch the base.

"We're going to go for the Shichibi. It'll be a long journey to Iwa, I hope you're all prepared." Leader informed them glancing purposefully at Deidara. "It'll be a badger, so it'll have a nasty temper. Be careful." The rest of the team nodded. Sakura marched behind Kisame, Deidara and Sasori in tow.

"She sure is excited. Kinda strange, seeing as she's quite close with the Kyuubi." Sasori wondered aloud. Deidara only nodded in silent agreement. Just as they began to leave the Land of Rain, a loud voice stopped them dead in their tracks.

"Oi! Akatsuki! Turn around!"

Most of them obliged. Sakura's knees almost gave out.

_'Naruto...'_

"Who's the leader here!?" the Kyuubi boy commanded. Kisame smirked, moving. Itachi only closed his eyes, also moving. Deidara and Sasori grabbed Sakura's arm, hiding her behind them. She gratefully buried her cheek into Deidara's arm.

Pein stepped forward, Konan close behind.

"Ah, the Kyuubi. I see you've found us." he sighed.

"Yeah, and I've come to take Sakura-chan back to Konoha!" he snarled, cracking his knuckles. Sakura trembled, causing Sasori and Deidara to tense. Pein smirked.

"Well, it's really up to her whether she stays or not...isn't it, Sakura?" he chuckled, motioning his hands, commanding Deidara and Sasori to move aside. They reluctantly let her go, stepping to their left.

There she was.

Face hidden behind her hat. Sad jade eyes met wide cerulean. She quaked beneath her cloak.

"Sakura, what are you waiting for? They're letting you go, c'mon! Let's get the hell out of here!" He yelled. Deidara's stone blue eyes narrowed furiously. Sakura stood there, unresponsive.

"Sakura! Let's go!" Naruto whispered desperately. She lowered her head further, avoiding his pleading gaze.

"SAKURA!"

"No." she growled coldly, venom dripping from the single word. Naruto flinched.

"I'm not going anywhere, Naruto." she hissed. "Why should I return...to a village that thinks I'm useless? That casts me off to the side..." she snarled, watching fearfully as his cerulean eyes began to take on the coral-red hue, "...while I suffer? Even you, Naruto. My so-called closest friend." she whispered, hiding her emotions from him perfectly. The pain in her voice was evident to all the Akatsuki members. She turned on her heels, facing Pein.

"Instead of hunting down the Shichibi, why don't we take what's right under our noses?" she suggested, glancing at Naruto. Pein smirked, though hiding his worry for the medic nin.

"Sure..." Pein agreed. Naruto roared. He now had two scarlet eyes and fangs and claws. He launched himself at Sakura, teeth bared. Deidara immediately began taking up position defending her, but Sakura gently pushed him aside. She held up her hand, focusing the chakra and knocking him aside.

"It's nine against one, Naruto. The odds speak for themselves. Though a bit ironic, I must say, that there are nine of us, and you have the nine tails." she scoffed. He growled threateningly at the other Akatsuki members. Tobi backed off a little, but then stood his ground.

"Naruto, how did you find...us." she trailed off, remembering Sai. She quivered angrily, rushing at Naruto and gripping his throat.

"WHERE IS SAI!?" she bellowed. Naruto struggled to breathe under her inhuman strength. She loosened her grip enough for him to breathe and speak. He coughed and sputtered violently, and she repeated herself.

"Where. Is. Sai!?!?" Naruto coughed once more before answering.

"W-why would you want t-to know?"

"Did Sai tell you anything involving me!?" she screeched, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him into a nearby tree.

"N-no! Nothing!" he whimpered. She glared skeptically, but threw him viciously to the ground, creating a large crater. Blood poured from Naruto's mouth and trailed from behind his shaggy blonde hair. She confidently walke dover to him, stomping down on his cheek, shoving him further into the mud. When she threw him, he broke both arms and legs on impact. She raised her foot and slammed it down on a pressure point, rendering him unconcious.

"Leader. He's unconcious." she reported.

"Heal all his wounds. We need him to be healthy for the extraction." he replied. Sakura nodded, reaching for his dislocated elbow, only to be thrown across the clearing.

Naruto was definitely NOT unconcious.

Naruto's skin was a dark orange red color, and five tails had sprouted behind him. He lunged in Pein's direction, who was guarding Konan closely. Naruto noticed this, changing his course for the blue haired woman. Sakura recovered from the toss, and sprinted to Konan's position. Pein moved to block him, but was slower than a snail compared to Naruto's Kyuubi form.

Naruto slashed his deadly claws across Konan's front, face, back, and both sides, then pierced his fist through her chest. Konan screeched in pain, then fainted.

Sakura rushed to Konan's side, immediately beginning to heal her fatal wound. Konan's midnight blue hair had come undone from it's tight bun and was splayed beneath her shoulders. Her hands began to glow with green chakra. Konan's indigo eyes were blank and emotionless.

Pein had since knocked Naruto out and restrained him, putting a Justu on him to keep him down. Pein rushed over to Sakura and Konan.

"How is she!?" he demanded. Sakura wiped the sweat dripping down her forehead.

"I've healed the hole in her chest. There's still some damage to her vitals." she reported, getting straight back to work. Sakura suddenly gasped, then began pulsing her chakra through Konan's body.

"Her heart's stopped!" Sakura pumped chakra into her lifeless body. Finally, after a minute, Sakura felt a faint pulse. Pein used a jutsu to transport all members and Naruto back to the base. Sakura then carried Konan to a medical surgery room, shiving everyone else out.

~*~

Pein sat just outside the medical room, wringing his hands impatiently. Deidara sat next to him. The rest of the Akatsuki sat at a table. It had been nearly two days since Sakura dragged Konan's bloodied body away. Pein heard movement from within the room. He burst throught he doors to see Konan stirring. He rushed over, enveloping her in his arms. Their reunion was interrupted by Deidara.

"Sakura? Sakura!!" he yelled desperately. Sasori walked over to him, kneeling beside his fainted team mate. "Sakura! Open your eyes! Please!!" Pein and Konan walked silently to her position. Sweat still dripped down Sakura's face, her hot breath blowing her messy hair from her eyes. Her limbs fell beside her, limp and lifeless.

"Let me see." Konan said, pushing the two men aside. She didn't know as much as Sakura, but she knew basic Medical skills. She frowned.

"Sakura..." she whispered.

Itachi, Kisame, Tobi and the rest of the Akatsuki walked in worriedly. Deidara leaned forward, shaking Konan's shoulder.

"What? What's wrong with her!?" he whimpered.

"Sakura's in a coma." she whispered hoarsely.

* * *

**MWAAAAHAHAHAHA cliffie. :3**

**I hope you enjoyed this sad, heartbreaking chapter. Keep voting for your favorite onesided pairing, the time for me to choose is near!!**

**R & R!!!**

**Love ya!**

**~China**


	8. Visiting Sakura

**Hello. China here.**

**So, on account of stupendously fast healing, I'll be getting out of the hospital a few days earlier than planned! I'M SO HAPPY!!**

**And...guess what? I'm an auntie! My older sister had a baby girl on July 14th, 2009! Her name is Olivia. She's a healthy baby girl with her father's black hair and her mother's green eyes. Beautiful combination.**

**But, with all good news, a little bad must come. Olivia was supposed to have a twin brother named Liam, but he died shortly after birth, just after the clock struck midnight. My poor sister cried for hours.**

**R.I.P. Liam, Born July 14th, 2009. Died July 15th, 2009. May your soul find peace in the hands of heaven.**

**This chapter is dedicated to you, Liam.  
**

**But I'm really quite happy. My sister gave me the honor of holding her hand during birth. It may sound bad to you guys, but it was so sweet of her. She was mostly thinking of her husband. She said she didn't want to hurt his hand...cuz then who would help her take care of the child? Mwahaha, she's not as innocent as she may seem!**

**But it didn't hurt too bad, actually. Nothing broken. I love my sister dearly, and she shared my hospital room for the childbirth. 3**

**Also, to my faithful reviewers BellaPerea and Soccerluver04, my sister happens to be a HUGE fan of your work!  
**

**I FINALLY GOT TO TAKE A SHOWER TODAY!!!! Those damn nurses wouldn't listen to common sense and let me take a shower, but they finally gave in! I feel so much better!!!**

**So I love you guys. You guys have been giving me nothing but good, awesome reviews since I started this story. You guys keep me going!**

**Anyways...VOTE COUNT!!!**

**ItaSaku: 6**

**SasoSaku: 3  
**

**HidaSaku: 3**

**ItaSaku is still in the lead by three, with HidaSaku and SasoSaku tied for 2nd!  
**

**ALSO, the decision doesn't entirely lie in the hands of the voters. I get to vote, and I'm going to ask a few friends after the voting is closed. Which will be VERY soon, so get votin'!**

**OK DISCLAIMER: China dun own Naruto. MasaKishi does. (Like me nickname for him?)**

_**RECAP: Sakura fought Naruto, who turned into his 5-tail form and literally ripped through Konan. Sakura spent DAYS healing Konan, and they both survived, but now Sakura's in a coma!? HOW CAN THIS BE!?**_

* * *

Deidara's eyes stared blankly ahead of him, gazing at a wall.

_'Sakura's...in a coma.'_ Konan's words tore through his mind, repeating over and over again.

_'Sakura's...in a coma.'_

_'Sakura's...in a coma.'_

Hidan shook his friend roughly. Deidara snapped his broken stare to the immortal man with silver slicked back hair.

"You gonna be okay, man?" Hidan whispered in a worried tone. Deidara took in a shaky breath and buried his face in Sakura's rosy hair. He inhaled her scent. He was afraid if he let her go, she might disappear. He quivered as tears ran down his cheeks and dripped from his chin. He had forgotten the feeling of crying, it had been so long.

Hidan almost felt tears gathering in his own eyes, but pushed them back and he sat beside one of his closest friends, placing a hand on his shoulder. Sasori did the same, while Itachi and Kisame just stood by somberly.

"Deidara, I know you don't want to leave her right now, but she'll need to be in a bed soon." Pein gently reasoned with him. Deidara looked up, teary-eyed.

"I just got her back...why is god taking her from me so soon!?" He shouted. His grip tightened around her. "I'm not leaving her. I don't care what you do to me." Everyone was shocked at the lack of use of the words 'un', 'yeah', or 'hm.'

Deidara was dead serious.

"...fine, I can see there's no changing your mind. I'll free you from missions, but only for a week. One week, you hear me?" Pein scolded frustratedly. Deidara only nodded, nuzzling Sakura's hair more. "Now, come. Let's bring Sakura to her room for the time being." he told Deidara, who stood holding Sakura bridal style with her head rested on his chest. The rest of the Akatsuki moved aside for their fallen medic, some bowing in respect. She was kidnapped, then forced to join the Akatsuki against her will, yet she gave up so much for them.

Pein and Konan lead Deidara down many twisting, turning hallways, passing many doors until they reached a large white room. They pushed open the heavy doors to reveal a clean, white room with a small but comfortable bed in the corner nearest the window. Sunlight streamed through said window, making everything glow. An empty white vase sat on a brown table by the bedside.

"Set her on the bed. Konan, will you check her for any injuries or critical statuses?" Deidara and Konan obliged. Konan opened Sakura's large hooded eyes, shining a flashlight in them. She opened her mouth cautiously. She lifted a delicate hand and felt for a pulse, then used her stethescope on Sakura's chest. The examination went on, Sakura appearing completely unharmed.

Deidara lifted her again, placing her under the thin blanket. He gazed longingly at her calm face, brushing some hair from her forehead.

"Stay here as long as you wish." Pein said, leaving with Konan. Deidara nodded once, pulling up a black chair and sat silently.

He barely slept the entire night.

~*~

The next day, everyone was free of missions. They all took the time to visit Sakura, each bringing flowers to put in the vase.

Itachi brought a few long stemmed Peonies.

Kisame brought an anemone flower.

Hidan brought a hisbiscus flower.

Sasori brought a fiery red ginger flower.

Zetsu brought a white and red orchid.

Kakuzu brought a few marigold flowers.

Tobi brought a few branches full of Sakura blossoms. Where he found them in Autumn, no one will ever know.

Konan brought two large pink roses.

Pein brought white zinnias.

Deidara brought many flowers. He brought white roses, white-and-red roses, and deep red roses. He places them in a vase he made himself, with Sakura's name engraved into it. He sculpted many tiny sakura blossoms, placing them beside her bed.

Deidara visited every day. If he ever missed a single day, he would bolt straight for the room and sit himself beside her patiently.

Soon, his week was over, and was being sent off on missions again. Some missions lasted hours, some lasted days, even weeks or months. As soon as he would return, he would sprint to his room, removing his cloak and equipment before hurrying to her room. Each time he was disappointed, but not discouraged, to find that she had yet to wake.

Konan, Sasori, Hidan and Itachi also visited frequently. Not as often as Deidara. No one visited as often as Deidara.

Pein decided to be generous, and offer to the captive Naruto to visit Sakura, but the Kyuubi turned him down rudely after just hearing his ex friend's name. This angered Pein deeply, but he didn't show it.

~*~

"Deidara. I have a mission for you."

Oh, how Deidara dreaded those six words. He desperately wanted to remain by Sakura's bedside. But no such luck.

"I know you want to stay with Sakura. But I can't let you do that." Pein said. "And I'm afraid this mission will be a long one." he finished. Deidara grimaced disapprovingly, but held back any smart remarks or comments.

"You'll be going to the land of water to retrieve a scroll and a few hard-to-get items that might aid us in the future." He said, handing his a parchment of paper listing the current whereabouts of most of the items. "I don't know the whereabouts of a few of those items. It's up to you to find them. This is a solo mission. You'll have to be especially careful." he warned. Deidara nodded, concealing his angered growl. This mission could take a long time.

"You have two days time to pack and prepare. You'll then leave at noon." Pein intructed him. "You are dismissed."

Deidara slowly made his way to his room, packing mostly his usual mesh shirts and black pants. He finished packing, then made his way to Sakura's room.

Sakura lie in her bed, sleeping peacefully in her bed. Her breathing was even and steady. She lay there. Completely still. Not even a twitch.

It pained Deidara to see her this way. The usually strong-willed, intelligent, powerful girl was now helpless and fragile.

He stroked her cheek lovingly. She was warm to the touch, and her skin was soft. A breeze blew in from the window, scattering petals from the Akatsuki's flowers across her near lifeless body. A rose petal landed square on her lips, only to be blown away by her shallow breaths.

_'Sakura...'_

~*~

Deidara woke in his bed two days later, rolling over to see...no one.

He was alone.

It would take some getting used to, waking up alone. He stood up, getting ready for the long mission ahead. He walked silently out of his room, making his way to Sakura's room. He walked in, sitting in his usual chair. He was upset that he only had a few minutes with her before he had to leave.

He picked up her hand in his own, stroking her palm with his thumb. He trembled sadly. He brought his fingers to her chin and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. His long hair tickled her face. He stood from the chair and reluctantly left the room, then left base, beginning the mission.

* * *

**Ok, It's finished!**

**I need your advice, guys. Should I do a few chapters on the mission he's on, or do a time skip straight to after?**

**You guys choose.**

**Also, LAST CHANCE TO VOTE FOR ONESIDED PAIRING!!! THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT CHAPTER I POST MEANS VOTING IS CLOSED AND I HAVE CHOSEN!!!**

**Get busy with that.**

**Hope you all enjoyed that chapter. I cried.**

**~China**


	9. Author's Note

HELLOOOO!! I'm back again! And I get out of the hospital in 2 more days, on July 17th! YAAAAAAY!!!! And all my friends are granting my wish and throwing me a welcome out of the hospital party at the beach!!! WOOOOO!

I almost lost my cat today. We gave her a bath earlier cuz she was nasty (and I somehow got out of that scratch free), and she was hiding. At first I thought she escaped outside and ran away. But we found her under the bed. Nearly gave me a heart attack.

So...I'm fresh out of ideas for this section. So on to THE FINAL VOTE COUNT!!!

OK, so here's where we were last time:

**ItaSaku: 6**

**SasoSaku: 3**

**HidaSaku: 3**

And here's me and my friend's votes:

**ItaSaku: 3**

**SasoSaku: 4**

**HidaSaku: 2**

ADD 'EM TOGETHER...and we get:

**ItaSaku: 9**

**SasoSaku: 7**

**HidaSaku: 5**

ITASAKU IS THE WINNER!!!! *DINGDINGDING*

For all those who voted for SasoSaku or HidaSaku, don't fret!! I'll be making up for the lack of said pairings with two oneshots of those pairings once this story's over! REJOICE, BBY!!

I'm a tad down, because I was one of the two that voted for HidaSaku, even though I said before that I thought of Hidan as more of an older brother figure to her.

To those who got all excited thinking this was a chapter, don't you worry none. I'll be updating in the next couple of hours most likely. :D

Ok, that's all I wanted to say. Really.

See you in a few hours.

Bye!

~China


	10. Wake Up

**Hello, there!!!**

**WAAAAAH. I have decided. Yes, the onesided pairing is to be ItaSaku. ;D**

**Anyways, I'm way into flowers and their meanings. So all those flowers had meanings. Find the ones I used here:**

**h t t p : / / w w w . a b o u t f l o w e r s . c o m / f l o w e r - a - p l a n t - i n f o r m a t i o n - a n d - p h o t o s / m e a n i n g s - o f - f l o w e r s . h t m l**

**Without the spaces of course. I laughed at the one Kakuzu used. Strategically! MOOOO.**

**HAAAAY. I'm definitely gonna try and update the rest of my stories sometime this week, so keep an eye out for 'em.**

**And I have a question...**

**You know how when you upload a document, the limit is 15 documents, so if you wanna add more, you'll have to remove some?**

**Well, what if those documents had already been turned into chapters? Would deleting it make the chapter disappear?**

**Any responses would be great, thanks.**

**And, I'm gonna do a timeskip. That mission would require battle scenes, which I suck at.  
**

**DISCLAIMER: MasaKishi owns Naruto. And his Kyuubi self.**

**RECAP: Deidara's sent on a frekkin long mission! How will he cope with being away from Sakura so long? And will she wake up while he's gone!? OH NOES!!!**

* * *

_4 1/2 Months Later_

Sakura still hadn't waken up from her coma,and Deidara hadn't returned from his mission. The base seemed empty without her running from room to room. Snow whirled out the window and hail pelted the grounds of the Land of Rain. It was currently February, and the coldest one Rain had seen for years.

Hidan sat on the couch, bored. Itachi and Kisame hadn't left their rooms yet that day, Konan and Pein were in the kitchen. Kakuzu sat next to Hidan. Zetsu was tending the plants in his greenhouse, making sure they got the proper nutrition throughout the harsh winter. Tobi was currently visiting Sakura.

Tobi sat with his usual spiral mask in place next to Sakura. He sighed.

"Sakura-chan...hurry and wake up! We all miss you!"

He turned his attention to the vase of flowers that they had replaced every two weeks. They were wilting, petals strewn along the table. Tobi got up, tending to the boquet.

Sakura's eyes began to tighten, then they slowly fluttered open. The first thing she saw was the back of Tobi's head. Then she heard cheerful whistling.

"To..Tobi?" she croaked. Tobi whipped around. Upon seeing Sakura with her eyes open, he dropped the wilting flowers.

"You're awake!!" he yelled, bolting out of the room.

Tobi ran down the halls, banging on Kisame and Itachi's doors along the way.

"WAKE UP! WAKE UP!" he shouted. Everyone knew that Tobi didn't mess with the Uchiha and Kisame. It must be important.

He sprinted into the common room. Zetsu walked in the door at that moment. Tobi stopped to catch his breath as Itachi and Kisame caught up with him.

"Ev'ryone...I hafta...tell ya something!" he said between breaths. Konan came up, patting him on the back.

"Catch your breath first." she instructed. "Now. What's so important?"

"It's Sakura-chan. She's awake!" he yelled excitedly. They all stood wide eyed.

"C'mon, let's go see her!" Tobi grabbed the closest person, who happened to be Pein and made a beeline for Sakura's room.

The team opened the heavy duty white doors to see Sakura sitting up in bed, staring straight ahead at the wall. Her gaze snapped to the group. They all ran to the bedside. Konan threw herself at Sakura, tears pouring down her face.

"Sa-sakura-chan!! I was so worried!" Sakura frowned.

"Worried? Why? I was only out for a few days, right?"

"Try a few MONTHS, kiddo. You really had us worried." Kisame said from her left side. She closed her eyes and sighed. Then snapped them open. She searched the small crowd frantically for the familiar golden topknot.

"Where's Deidara?" she asked.

"He's on a mission. He shouldn't be too much longer." Pein spoke up.

"Deidara-senpai will be upset that he wasn't here for Sakura-chan when she woke up!" Tobi stated. Sakura sighed, trying to get out of bed. But she found she couldn't move.

"Why can't I move my legs?" she pondered.

"Sakura, that's a little pathetic. You call yourself a medic nin? Stupid bitch." Hidan said, his voice filled with emotion.

"Hello to you too, Hidan." Sakura said calmly. She smiled.

_'They really care...'_

_~*~_

Sakura was able to move her legs in three days time. She was soon hobbling around the base like always, but sometimes stayed in bed. She was easily exhausted from such a long period of inactivity. She sighed, watching the snow fall from the window. She smiled blissfully. In Konoha, it never snowed much. Only once or twice every winter month. It was truly beautiful.

In the common room, near midnight, Sasori, Tobi, Itachi, Kisame, Hidan and Konan sat on the couch chatting. They all ceased all noises when they saw a large white clay bird land in the nearvy clearing. They all giggled, but Sasori and Itachi of course, as the puppet master hushed the other four.

Deidara walked drearily into the base, taking off his heavy cloak and removing his straw hat. They waited his words.

"Sakura awake yet?"

To be expected.

Sasori smirked.

"Why don't you go see for yourself?" he suggested cheekily. Deidara dragged his feet down the hall. Itachi stood up and silently followed unnoticed.

Deidara finally reached those white doors he missed seeing. He pushed them open and dropped the kunai he had been placing in his pocket. The cold metal clanged on the floor. Sakura turned, seeing that topknot she missed so.

"SAKURA!!" Deidara shouted, launching himself at her and gathered her in his arms. She smiled as he buried his nose in her hair. Deidara felt tears spilling.

Like he cared.

Sakura threw her arms around him, inhaling his scent. He smelled of the fresh air and his clay. How she missed that strange smell of clay.

"When did you wake up, hm?"

"About three days ago." she replied smiling innocently. That innocent smile brought more tears to his eyes. So adorable!

Sakura moved over in the bed, lying down. She patted the space next to her.

"Lie down, Dei-kun. You look tired." she instructed. He happily obliged, intertwining his fingers with her own. They closed their eyes and their foreheads placed against each other's. They soon fell asleep.

Outside the room, Itachi watched the two in silent anger. Oh, how jealous he was of the younger man. But why? He couldn't put his finger on it, but one thing was for sure: Deidara was officially his rival.

~*~

Deidara woke up with a large white blanket in his face. He sighed, tightening his grip around a petite waist.

WAIT A SECOND...

Waist? Since when?

He threw back the sheets to see his Sakura, sleeping like a baby. Sakura stirred a bit, snuggling herself into his chest and resting her face in the crook of his neck. She drifted back to sleep. He smiled, tucking some of her pink hair behind her ears.

How long he's waited for this...

For this moment with Sakura.

His Sakura.

Deidara watched her sleeping face. She was beautiful. Her face was peaceful, serene. He chuckled, enjoying the way her nose twitched every now and then.

It wasn't long before Sakura woke up. She smiled groggily, placing her lips delicately to his. He happily returned the kiss, caressing her shoulders. Sakura broke the silence.

"I can't wait to get training again." she sighed. "I've barely had enough energy to walk for more than 10 minutes."

"I'm sure we can start soon." he yawned.

After 15 minutes of lying in bed doing nothing but cuddle, they made their way to the kitchen.

Damn were they hungry.

The two demolished half a carton of eggs and countless piles of pancakes. Kisame smirked, thoroughly amused. They were giving him a run for his money.

After breakfast, the two settled down on the couch. Deidara hugged her tightly. Sasori decided to mess around a bit.

"Deidara, leave some Sakura for the rest of us." he chuckled.

"NEVER!! I'LL NEVER LEAVE MY SAKURA-CHAN AGAIN!!!" he roared. The rest of the Akatsuki laughed heartily. Sakura smiled, patting Deidara's head, who went straight back to nuzzling her neck.

"Never, Deidara?" Sakura asked.

"Never." He promised.

* * *

**AWWWWWWWW!!!!! SO cute!!! Well, I won't be updating much later today. Gotz ta go somewhere.**

**Hope you enjoyed that chapter. I loooved it!**

**Jaa ne!**

**~China**


	11. Seduction

**HAAAAY!! I went to go see Harry Potter yesterday. It was infuriatingly long!!!**

**And I went dancin' with tha girls. LOL my friend Krysti was bein checked out a ton. I only had like one guy checking me out. Makes me a tad sad. But you should've seen me dance. When they out on 'Break it off', I was awesome. For a white girl.**

**But Krysti was better, being the ghetto girl of our group. I'm the tomboy. But I'm damn proud of it! SHANNARO~!**

**LOL That's Sakura's japanese catch phrase, and it translates directly to "Hell Yeah!"**

**Hell yeah.**

**Anyways, is my fanfiction a little too shoujo? I try not to make it too shoujo and not too shounen, but more even. Let me know!!**

**Wow this section is so short, now that we've decided the onesided pairing. SIGH.**

**MWAHAHA, Inner Sakura gets her first appearance today!!  
**

**So let's just get to the story.**

**DISCLAIMER: MasaKishi owns all this hot shit.**

**RECAP: Sakura woke from her coma and Deidara came home! And what's this? Itachi is jealous? HOW CAN THIS BE!?!?**

* * *

Sakura woke to the sound of snoring. She giggled and watched Deidara as his breath began to blow his bangs away from his wide open mouth, preventing choking on it. She looked over to the window. It was still snowing, but it seemed to be heavier than normal. She slipped out of bed silently, putting her hand on the table to steady herself when something poked her hand.

Several realistic cherry blossoms lay under her hand. She picked up one gently, but flinched as it exploded into a sparkling white glitter cloud. She glanced behind her as Deidara continued to snore. She smirked, shaking the glitter from her hands all over his hair. She took the rest and they exploded, but she held them over his shirt and pants.

She snickered, leaving the room. She walked to the common room, rubbing her eyes, yawning sleepily. She bumped into Zetsu.

"Gomen, Zetsu-san." she said, smiling innocently.

"It's fine, **Kunoichi**." he said using both his voices. She began to walk to the kitchen for breakfast, when Zetsu stopped her.

"Wait." she whipped around, facing the plant man. "**Leader wants to see you** **immediately**." he said in his black voice. She nodded. She stumbled past the kitchen regretfully and stepped into Pein's office.

"Ah. Sakura. Please sit." he ordered.

"Yup. 'Scuse the pajamas, just woke up." she murmured groggily. She was NOT a morning person.

He chuckled. "No matter. I'm just wondering where you got them." he commented. They were normal pajamas, but were black and decorated with the signature Akatsuki red clouds.

"Made 'em." she mumbled.

"Anyways. I'm sending you on a mission in the Land of Earth." he said. "But it's a seduction mission."

Sakura tensed, gripping the closest thing, which happened to be the arm of the chair. Wood splinters flew through the air as she broke it with sheer force.

**FUCK! He's sending us on a SEDUCTION MISSION!? WHAT THE FUCK!!!** Her Inner screamed.

"Sa-sakura?" Pein stuttered. Sakura paled, snapping back to reality. Her face must have been pretty damn scary to have the Leader of the fearsome Akatsuki stuttering.

"I'm sorry. Continue." she sighed.

"You won't be going alone. Deidara and Itachi will accompany you, in case back up is needed. Your target is, after all, a trained shinobi." She opened the manila folder he handed her. A pciture of a muscular, but lean man with shoulder length silver hair and a fang sticking out of one side of his mouth. Violet eyes stared away from the camera. In the right light, his hair might seem almost sky blue.

_Name: Suigetsu_

_Gender: Male_

_Family: None_

_Jutsu Element: Water_

_Info: Carries a sword previously owned by Zabuza Momochi. He seems to be very indifferent and somewhat lazy. He has a habit of chopping limbs off his enemies before beheading them. Killing is casual to him._

"Hey. Why did you choose me for this mission?" she groaned. He huffed.

"Well, I refuse to choose Konan. And you're the only other girl." he hissed. "And he seems to have a thing for girls with exotic hair colors." he said.

"Is that so?" she whispered, tapping her chin thoughtfully with her forefinger. "Now. Will you be telling Itachi and Deidara, or should I?"

"Leave that to me, Sakura." he suggested.

"Well, if you say so. Just good luck with Deidara. He will NOT take this well." she informed him.

~*~

"WHAT!?" Deidara screamed. "A SEDUCTION MISSION!?"

Pein leaned back a bit to avoid the spit flying in his direction. Deidara opened his mouth again, but Itachi slapped his palm over it.

"Hai, Leader. We'll be ready in time." he said in his monotone voice, the dragged a thrashing Deidara out of the room.

Itachi stared, slightly amused at Deidara's hair and clothes.

"What, hm?" Deidara asked.

There was a irritating pause before, "Nice glitter." he said. Deidara looked in the bathroom mirror, and cursed, brushing off the sparkling substance.

The two made their way to Sakura and Deidara's room. Sakura had the folder with all the info they needed. Sakura had already left with Konan to go shopping for some clothes that better suited the mission, but she left the folder there. Itachi picked it up and read it, tensing.

"Shit." he cursed.

"What, hm?"

"This guy is on Sasuke's team."

"So?"

"Sasuke's probably going to be mad about us taking down his team mate."

"And? We could take him, yeah." Deidara replied.

"Him, yes. Orochimaru's entire army that Sasuke would most likely recruit, no."

"Ah. I see, hm. Well, we'll just make sure there's absolutely no evidence it was us, yeah. Besides, Sakura's the one killing him, yeah. I don't think Sasuke knows that she's in the Akatsuki." he reasoned.

"Good point."

In Deidara's mind, he was still furious about the fact that Sakura would have to seduce someone other than himself.

~*~

Sakura, Deidara and Itachi were ready within the week. Tobi saw them off, hoping Deidara could keep his temper when the target touched Sakura.

After a few days of almost nonstop travelling, they finally reached Iwa. Itachi and Sakura both looked at Deidara. He seemed calm, but they could tell he was nervous. He pulled his straw hat forward, covering his face. The two did the same, and leaped into the large city.

They finally reached a small motel and let Sakura negotiate for a room. She disguised herself as a woman with brown hair and gold eyes. Itachi was disguised as her older brother, and had jet black hair and gold eyes. Deidara disguised himself as Sakura's older half-brother with red hair and spring green eyes.

"Hello. We'd like a room with three beds, please?" Sakura politely asked. The man at the counter frowned.

"I'm sorry. We only have one room left, and it has two beds. Is that fine?" she told them. Sakura nodded. She gave them the keys and they headed for the third floor.

Upon entering, Sakura threw herself down on the nearest bed, sighing tiredly. She almost immediately fell asleep. Itachi turned to Deidara.

"I assume you'll be sharing the bed with her?" he reluctantly guessed.

"Sure, un. But why assume?" he wondered.

"I don't feel for Sakura that way." he lied, something he was terrible at doing. But Deidara seemed to buy it. The blonde boy nodded, roughly rolling the rosette over and lay down next to her, right arm thrown across her. He saw Sakura shift in her sleep, but she did nothign to remove the arm. Itachi scowled in jealousy.

He stalked over to his own bed, plopping down and stared at the ceiling. He looked over to see Sakura's sleepign face. She really was beautiful. Her pink hair fell over her peaceful face delicately and was splayed over her shoulders and back. Her long eyelashes glistened in the lamp light, and her lips looked naturally glossy. Her thin arms both rested on her stomach, and her legs were bent slightly at the knee and angled toward him.

Itachi was beginning to understand why he was so jealous of the younger man.

_'Do I really love her...?'_ he pondered.

Itachi's mind was plagued with thoughts and images of Sakura throughout the night, and he didn't get much sleep.

~*~

The next night, it was February 18th. Suigetsu's birthday. He would surely be out at a bar, which just happened to be the only bar in Iwa that allowed strippers. Sakura was dressed in a trench coat as she walked to the bar. Deidara and Itachi arrived before her, avoiding suspicion.

Out of the corner of their eyes, Itachi and Deidara saw a head of pink walk through the doors. She walked through a door towards the back of the bar. On the way, she spotted a head of silver-blue hair, comfirming that it was Suigetsu. He was already a bit tipsy.

She walked through the door and removed her coat, sitting in front of a mirror as two women did her make up and hair. The woman doing her hair did nothing dramatic, just spiked her hair a bit. Her make up was a dark red and some white glitter eyeshadow. It sounded a bit much, but it actually looked quite stunning. Sakura had on long, plastic nails that were painted white. She sighed, holding back tears as she stepped out into the bar.

Deidara and Itachi's eyes immediately snapped tot he opening door. Their jaws almost dropped.

Sakura wore a tight, dark red strapless corset that had snow white heart-shaped tassels on the nipples. The body of the corset was covered in a thin layer of white lace that reached halfway down to her belly button, which was shown

She had dark red bikini style panties that had a white bow on the right hip. She wore a red garter with white lace and white fishnet stockings. Her boots were dark red leather and reached her knees. She wore a pair of white gloves that reached just above her wrists. Around her neck, she wore a black spiked dog collar with a chain attached like a leash.

The two men almsot drooled, and many men DID drool. Suigetsu's drunken stare snapped to the pink haired girl that stepped onto the stage grabbing a stripper pole.

The song "Hey Sexy Lady" by Shaggy and Sean Paul came on overhead. She smirked. she had danced to this before.

**Hey sexy lady, I like your flow  
Your body's bangin, out of control! (Uh!)  
You put it on me (That's right) ceiling to floor  
Only you can make me, scream and beg for more!**

Sakura started out simple, gripping the pole and leaned back, swinging her hips seductively. Then she dropper herself to the floor, and brought herself back up slowly while swaying her hips more.

**Her body's callin' bawlin' got me crawlin' up the wall and  
My size ain't small it's tall and catch here comes her clothes be fallin'  
Her neighbor's callin', bawlin' all this noise is so damn appallin'  
They must believe we're brawlin' headboards bang till early mornin'.**

Now for something a bit trickier. She climbed the pole almost the whole way up, wrapping her legs around it. She slowly slid down, rotating in a circle around the shining pole. She was still in a sitting position when she reached the bottom, then poked her rear out and stood up slowly, walking in a circle around the pole. Men cheared.

**Hey sexy lady (Uh!) I like your flow  
Your body's bangin (Yo) out of control! (A big tune)  
You put it on me (Uh!) ceiling to floor (Ceiling to floor baby)  
Only you can make me (Uh) scream and beg for more!**

**I was her father's choosin',performance left her snoozin'  
Rug burns her knees we're bruised and, she's hooked ain't no refusin'.**

Deidara almost had a nosebleed as Sakura jumped into the air, bringing the inner leg up, out, and around, her outer leg following the same path, giving a good view between her legs. Itachi blushed heavily, not bothering to conceal it.

**I knew it all along (Uh!) she was the perfect one (What!)  
She really put it on (On me) I had to write a song**

**Hey sexy lady (She's drivin me nuts) I like your flow (Uh! Uh!)  
Your body's bangin (Sexy Lady) out of control! (Sweet and nice)  
You put it on me (You know you got that figure) ceiling to floor  
Only you can make me (Wow) scream and beg for more!**

**Hey sexy lady you be fine drive me crazy movin on, and on, and on.  
Hey sexy lady you be fine drive me crazy movin on, and on, and on.**

Sakura climbed the pole again, but this time she was upside down, parallel to the pole. She expertly twisted her legs as she spun around, flipping over and landing, giving a twirl to the end.

She then leaned her back against the pole and slothfully slid down, still holding the vertical bar. She dragged her rear back up, but her abdomen only travelled half way up so that her ass stuck up in the air, and she sexily leaned back after bringing herself up, throwing her head back and wrapping her right calf around the pole.

**Gal your extra sexy like (Whoa) and you make me wanna say (Hi)  
And you shake you shake your thong (Low)  
Gal you wicked to ras it nah (Lie)  
Gal I like the way how you (Flow) everytime you pass me (By)  
Gal you wiggly jiggly and (Oh) and you wicked to ras it nah (Lie)**

Sakura climbed the pole once again, and arched her back and legs backwards around the pole, then spiraled down said pole. She landed in a split and stood.

Then she began the trickiest, and sexiest, which happened to be her favorite. She climbed the pole one last time, gripping it tightly and lifted herself from the floor. She began rolling her hips backwards, gradually moving backwards in a wave.

**Hey sexy lady (Uh!) I like your flow (Whaddat)  
Your body's bangin, out of control!  
You put it on me (Put it on me baby) ceiling to floor (Uh!)  
Only you can make me (Only you) scream and beg for more!**

Sakura then landed in a sitting position as the song ended, and she quickly lay on her back, legs supporting her. The crowd of men cheered and whistled, some using cat calls and wolf whistles. Suigetsu then stood, whispering something in her ear and rubbed her ass. She smirked, following him to his chair, as men stuck money in the waistline of her panties. Deidara almost broke his glass of gin, until Itachi gripped his shoulder in warning.

~*~

Suigetsu sat down in his chair, legs spread wide. She sat on his lap, legs equally wide. The man placed both hands on her rear and gripping hard, nails almost diging in. She giggled as she licked his neck up to his jaw, blowing on the wet trail, making him shiver. She began grinding her pelvis into his, and he groaned in pleasure. She turned around so her back faced him, sitting on his boner.

Deidara couldn't take much more of seeing Sakura give Suigetsu a lap dance. He turned his face away.

"I can't watch anymore. Tell me when it's over, yeah." he said, an almost nauseous tone to his voice. Itachi nodded, only glancing back. It pained him too.

After a song ended, Itachi looked over to see Suigetsu leading Sakura to a room by her chain collar.

"It's over, Deidara, but the target's leading her to a room. She should be done with him very soon." Itachi said. Deidara sighed in relief.

~*~

Sakura pretended to adjust her bra and panties, but she was actually hiding the small senbon coated with some of Sasori's poison.

"Baaaaaybeee...come over here..." he drawled out drunkly. She smirked, getting on her knees. She slowly pulled down his pants, boxers and all. His erection wasn't very impressive, but average. She regretfully began stroking his shaft slowly, blowing on the head. He moaned.

"Cut to thuh chase, whorrrre..." he slurred, pushing her head down onto him. Her Inner screamed for her to stop and stab him, but sakura ignored her. She licked him, sucked him, until he came. She grimaced at the taste, and let it dribble down her chin. She brought him to a kiss, giving him some of his own cum. He moaned. She smirked.

**Now's the time! Kill 'im!!** Her Inner cheered. Sakura happily obliged.

She brought three of the five poisoned needles, driving them through his neck. He screamed in pain as blood squirted from between his teeth. His vision began to blur, but he saw that she dropped the last two senbon. He shakily picked them up, driving them into her own neck. She groaned as she felt the burn of the poison coursing through her veins. She stayed and watched as he died.

She hurriedly made her way to the door. Deidara and Itachi leaped from their seats and followed. She neglected her coat as she hurried back to the motel.

She began stumbling and weakening. She only had about 3 more minutes before the poison killed her off. When she reached the motel, she only had one minute. She leaped through the window, her companions hot on her heels. She frantically searched through her pack. She found what she was looking for. A syringe filled with a yellow liquid. She tried injecting it into her, arm, but she dropped it exhaustedly, breathing heavily as she sprawled on the floor.

Itachi hurriedly grabbed the syringe and stabbed her in the arm, injecting the antidote. It's effects began to work after a minute or so, and the two men sighed in relief as her breathing returned to normal.

Itachi picked Sakura up bridal style and lay her on the bed. Itachi brushed the hair from her face, but stopped when Deidara began standing. He scowled at the loss of contact of his hand and her soft, pale skin.

Sakura woke long enough to croak out two words.

"Mission Complete."

* * *

**Well? She's only been awake for like two weeks and now she ALREADY almost dies on them?**

**MWAHAHA! (I'd never kill Sakura, she's too cool for that.)**

**Anyways, I got most of her stripper moves from this video:**

**h t t p : / / w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ? v = k j H W e x W l K t k**

**Without the spaces of course.**

**And I added a bit more ItaSaku in here! Yaaaaaaay!**

**;D**

**Well, see y'all next chapter!**

**Love yaaa!**

**~China**


	12. Found Out

**GGGGRRRRRR. I'm so frustrated!!!**

**My compy died and all my files were deleted!!!**

**I HAD TO START THIS CHAPTER ALL OVER AGAIN!!!**

***&#$*&*!!!!**

**Now that I'm done freaking out, a little update on my life. I got a haircut. Against my will. It used to be long, flowing and beautiful. Until I made my sister angry. So she threatened to cut my hair in my sleep.**

**Never thought she'd actually do it.**

**So now it's boy short and messy. And I hate it.**

**It's my older sister, but not the one who had a baby a few weeks ago.**

**And my cat's missing.**

**My life sucks.**

**P.S. For anyone who was wondering, Sasori hasn't been killed by Sakura in this story. And the reason he so easily trusts her will be revealed in the next chapter. There will be some HidaSaku and SasoSaku BROTHERLY STUFFZ in this story. NOT ROMANTIC STUFFZ.  
**

**DISCLAIMER: Dammit, MasaKishi, Kill Sasuke already!!!**

* * *

Itachi watched Sakura breathe deeply in her sleep. She was beautiful.

Her hair took on a white hue in the darkness. Her creamy legs and strong arms were twisted and her pale skin glowed in the moonlight.

Itachi was battling in his mind. He didn't _want_ to love her. He didn't _want_ to _love_.

But he did. He wanted her to be his. He wanted to be hers.

He wanted her.

When Sakura was in a coma was like being stabbed in the face every time he saw her. Those four and a half months of no Sakura was agonizing. Watching her fight tears away every time Konoha was mentioned was like dying, being brough back to life, then being killed again. But what hurt him the most...

Was seeing Deidara have the privelage of being loved by her.

Itachi lay down on her bed, turning over so his back faced the others.

_'I love her...don't I?'_

He drift off into a restless sleep.

Sakura's eyes began twitching rapidly under her eyelids. She was dreaming, and it was far from pleasant.

~*~

_Sakura couldn't breathe. She couldn't speak. There lie the whole of the Akatsuki._

_Dead._

_Sasuke stood, letting blood drip from his katana. The chidori in his left hand slowly died down._

_"Why!?" she screamed._

_Sasuke was silent, grabbing her hair and dragging her through the puddles of blood. He lay her down in a small area surrounded by her dead comrades, stripping the both of them. He pinned both her hands above her head and forced himself on her._

_She cried out in pain as he began thrusting rapidly, not bothering to wait for her to adjust. Blood trickled down her legs. She spied Sasuke's discarded katana in the corner of her eye. She stretched her arm, ignoring how it creaked in protest. She got a good grip on the sword, and placed it below._

**_Slice._**

_Sasuke howled in pain as his manhood was chopped clean off. She yanked it from her core and tossed it in a pool of blood. She gripped Sasuke's hair in her hand, lifting his head. In one smooth movement, she slit his throat._

_She whipped the blade to the side, cleaning it of his vile blood. She heard groans from behind her. She turned around slowly to see Deidara and Itachi struggling to stand. She ran over to them, tears leaking._

_Suddenly, Itachi and Deidara positioned Kunai over the other's throats, angry. They slit their throats._

_Sakura sobbed in fear and confusion as the two looked at her lovingly._

**_Choose._**

_A voice echoed within her dream as the two's expressions changed from those of love to those of expectancy. Sobs racked her body as she watched them bleed to death._

_She held the katana to her throat, ready to pierce her skin...  
_

~*~

Sakura sat up in the bed, screaming. Both men were startled by the noise and fell off the beds. They both lay there, groaning for a second, then crawled over to Sakura.

"WHAT'S WRONG (UN)!?" The both questioned. Sakura gave no answer. Her eyes were glazed over in terror and sweat was trickling down her forehead. Her breathing was labored and quick as she trembled. Itachi slowly reached to touch her shoulder, giving it a small shake. She broke out of her trance, and her gaze slowly traveled back and forth between the two men.

Without warning, she launched herself at the two of them, burying her tear-stained face into their shirts. Deidara wrapped his strong arms around her, then forced Itachi's to do the same. Itachi was, to say the least, surprised that Deidara forced him to, let alone _let_ him hug her. Deidara was extremely protective of Sakura, be it from enemies or attractive men.

That aside, Itachi was more than happy to hold the Akatsuki's cherry blossom. He was truly head over heels for Sakura Haruno.

But he wouldn't let the others know of his secret love.

He hid it well.

After Sakura calmed down, Deidara asked what was wrong.

"I-I was dreaming...and you...the Akatsuki...Sa-sasuke, he...k-killed you all! And then, he...he r-raped me. And you two w-were still alive... y-you," she said, pointing to the two men in front of her; "k-killed each other..." she trailed off. Deidara frowned and rubbed his hand on her back.

"Don't think about it anymore. We're all alive, and that bastard Sasuke hasn't come near us, yeah." he assured her.

Itachi's brows furrowed when his brother came into the picture. He turned his attention back to Sakura when she opened her mouth again.

"There was..._one_ good part of the dream..." she breathed. When both men's attention were on her, she continued. "I cut off Sasuke's...you know..." she indicated between her legs. Deidara was silent at first, then he burst out laughing, banging his fists on the ground hysterically. Itachi chuckled to himself. Just the image the thought gave him made him happier after what he'd done to her.

"We should return to the others soon." Itachi droned monotonously. Deidara recovered from his laughing fit and nodded, packing his things. Sakura packed her own things, then blushed bright red.

"Shit." she whispered, hoping Itachi and Deidara wouldn't hear her. No such luck.

"What's wrong, Sakura-chan?" Deidara was instantly by her side, searching her face. She sheepishly scratched her head, giggling.

"Ehehehe...seems I forgot some extra clothes...and my cloak at home." she said. Deidara gave her a confused look until he realized she was still wearing her 'outfit' from last night. "I don't suppose I can borrow any of yours?" she pleaded. Itachi, to her dismay, shook his head. Deidara grinned.

"Nope. Punishment for forgetting, un." she grimaced.

"Pervert."

~*~

"Sasuke-kuuuun!" a redheaded girl wearing short-shorts called in a nasal voice. She jumped to embrace the Uchiha. Before she could reach him, he held his hand up so it clamped down on her face, stopping her in mid-air.

"Karin, shut up." he shoved her roughly away. She got up, getting the dirt off her shoulders. "Let's get going." Sasuke continued. Just as they started to walk away, something in Karin's tiny brain snapped.

"Sasuke-kun, shouldn't Suigetsu have come back from Iwa by now?"

Sasuke stopped in his tracks. He knew Karin was right. Suigetsu had promised to return earlier that day, specifically in the early morning, but it was now dusk, and Suigetsu was no where to be seen. He immediately changed his course, heading for Iwa. Karin followed him like a lost puppy.

Iwa wasn't very far away from their position, since they accompanied him to the gates the day before. So it took them no time at all to reach the village. They searched for Suigetsu's favorite bar, and upon finding it, the first thing they noticed was scantily clad women, ridiculously dressed men, and police forces. Karin walked up to a group of three women.

"What happened here?"

"A man was murdered here last night! Not only that, he was a shinobi, too!"

"Not any shinobi I've seen around here, that's for sure."

Karin sighed. "What's his _name_?" she questioned impatiently.

"His name? Oh, what was it? I wanna say it started with an S..."

"Sugatsu? No, Seigatsu-"

"Suigetsu!?" Karin shrieked.

"That's it! You know him or something?"

Karin gave no answer as she sprinted inside the seedy bar. Sasuke following close behind. Despite the police force's protests, the slipped past the yellow caution tape and came face to face with Suigetsu's body.

Karin's mouth hung open in horror. Sasuke walked to the body, examining it closely. He picked up one hand and found a hair under his nails.

_'Pink...'_

"Karin. Let's go." Karin loyally followed the aloof Uchiha.

"Where to?" she pondered. Sasuke glanced back.

"I think it's time we pay my old village a little visit."

~*~

Sasuke and Karin picked up Juugo on the way there. Juugo stared up at the gates nervously, Karin staring in awe at their size. Sasuke approached confidently as the guards stepped forward.

"State your name and business!" one demanded.

"Uchiha Sasuke. I need to have a word with the Hokage."

The guards looked at him skeptically, then sent one of their subordinates to alert the Godaime.

"Very well, but we'll escort you and your companions to her." he glared at the Uchiha. "Don't try anything funny." Sasuke stared emotionlessly at the five escort ninja.

Shizune was the first to be alerted of Sasuke's appearance at the gates. She nearly dropped Tonton when she heard his name. She quickly gathered her senses and raced to Tsunade's office, which was hard to do, concidering she wore heels.

"Tsunade-sama! It's urgent!" Shizune cried, pounding on the door. She opened it, then expertly dodged a half empty bottle of sake. Alcohol dripped down the walls as the glass shattered. Ever since her apprentice and surrogate daughter, Sakura, went missing, Tsunade couldn't be found sober. And if she was, it didn't last long.

"Whut ish ittt!?" she slurred, swinging a newly opened bottle of sake. Tsunade gulped.

"Sasuke Uchiha requests an audience with you." Shizune braced herself.

At first, nothing. The seven words processed in Tsunade's mind for what seemed to be an eternity. Tsunade stood, her bangs shielding her hazel eyes. She picked up her office chair and hurled it at the window, demolishing the glass.

Outside, Juugo eluded falling furniture.

Sasuke smirked, thinking it was his old teammate who threw the falling things.

"Just like Sakura to throw a tantrum."

Little did he know.

Team Taka followed their escorts into the office. To Sasuke's surprise, and slight disappointment, Sakura was nowhere to be found.

Since Tsunade's initial outburst, she had sobered herself enough to speak calmly with the missing nin.

"Some nerve you have, to just waltz in here and demand an audience. You're still the cocky bastard I remember." Tsunade snarled. "What do you want, traitor?"

Sasuke smirked. "I wish to speak with my old teammate." Tsunade tensed before him.

"What do you want with Naruto?" she queried.

"Not Naruto. Sakura."

Within seconds, Sasuke was being held up against the wall by his pathetic excuse for a collar.

"What do you know about my apprentice!?" she thundered.

"I simply wish to ask her why she killed my teammate." Karin and Juugo looked down in grief.

"When was this?" Tsunade mumbled.

"Yesterday." he returned. Tsunade dropped him onto the ground, flopping down in her newly replaced chair.

"She...she's alive..." Shizune had dropped Tonton and fainted from relief. The pig squealed in worry.

Sasuke frowned. "You mean she's not here?"

"She's been missing for almost half a year now..."

Sasuke frowned deeper. He closed his eyes and sighed in annoyance. "May I speak with Naruto and Kakashi?"

Tsunade nodded, sending three ninja to fetch the remaining members of Team Kakashi. Naruto has since escaped the Akatsuki long before Sakura woke from her coma, and the Akatsuki had wiped his memory.

The three returned within minutes with Naruto, Kakashi and Sai. Upon seeing his old teammate, Naruto lunged instantly.

"TEME!!!"

Kakashi sprung into action. Well, more like oozed slowly-but-surely. He snagged his fingers in Naruto's collar and yanked back, his nose buried in his book the whole time.

Sai stepped up to meet Sasuke. He frowned.

"So you're the traitorous bastard who broke Sakura's heart." he snapped.

"And you're my replacement." he retorted.

The sparks flew between the dark haired boys. Sasuke closed his eyes and turned back tot he Godaime.

"I believe she may have been taken by the Akatsuki. I've heard rumors that she's a skilled medic and has inhuman strength. All of which she learned from you." he blinked. "Akatsuki would have great use for those attributes."

Sai stiffened, which thankfully went unnoticed. he was the only one who knew of Sakura's whereabouts. He kept said whereabouts a secret for the sake of her happiness.

To everyone's dismay, Sasuke continued. "I'd be willing to aid in her rescue."

"Why? Didn't she just kill your teammate?"

"That's exactly why. If she's strong enough to kill Suigetsu, she'd make a great addition to Team Taka."

Tsunade sighed. She knew she had to make a decision. _Fast_. With Sasuke, they would have a better chance against the Akatsuki. That, and Sasuke's first goal might be accomplished, thus coaxing him to return to Konoha. Not that they would accept him just like that.

She made her decision.

"Alright, Uchiha." he sighed. "You may aid us in the rescue of Haruno Sakura."

Naruto pumped his fist in the air, and Kakashi smiled behind his mask and buried his nose into his perverted book once more. Sai full out frowned.

"I'll ask the Sand siblings for their assistance as well. Naruto, gather the rest of the rookie nine and team Gai. Tell them to meet me here tomorrow at noon. We leave Konoha in three days. The 20th."

They all nodded.

"Dismissed. Sasuke, you and your companions will stay in this building under my watch." she instructed. She sent a carrier hawk to Suna explaining the situation.

Meanwhile, Sai sprinted back to his home. Upon entering, he snatched the first scroll he saw and whipped up a bird. He wrote a message to Sakura.

He tucked the rolled note into the bird's note case. He sent it off from his window.

_'Please Sakura.'_

~*~

Sakura sat in her room, when a tapping noise was on her window. She opened it and Sai's bird came careening in. She unrolled the note.

_Sakura._

_Sasuke visited the village to talk to you about killing his teammate Suigetsu. Now he's come up with the idea that you've been taken by the Akatsuki. He's been given permission to help in your rescue. Sasuke knows the whereabouts of the Akatsuki base._

_Please believe me when I say I didn't tell them._

_We'll be following Sasuke's directions. And by we, I mean the entire Rookie Nine, Team Gai, The Hokage herself, and the Sand Siblings as well. Possibly more._

_We leave on March 20th. It'll probably take us a few days to reach you.  
_

_Please, I don't want to fight you._

_Run._

_Sai_

She frowned, motioning Deidara over, who had just entered the room. She handed him the note, to which he frowned as well.

"Why didn't you tell me that guy we killed Sasuke's _teammate_?" she demanded. He sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

"Slipped my mind, yeah..."

Sakura was already out the door, waiting for Pein's meeting to end.

Konan opened the door and stepped out.

"Pein! I've got some bad news." she said, running in.

Pein knew about her keeping in touch with Sai. He didn't approve, but he didn't stop her.

"Sai's sent me a message telling me that Sasuke's Team Taka has joined with Konoha to come for me." she said, handing him the note.

"Luckily, Sakura, we have other bases. I'm sure Sasuke doesn't know this." Pein stated simply. "We'll relocate for the time being to our base in Bird Country." he folded the note, stuffing it in a drawer on his desk. "Inform the others. We'll be leaving first thing tomorrow."

Sakura saluted, running out. Lucky for her, they had all gathered coincidentally.

"Hey, we're gonna be relocating to Bird Country until firther notice." she announced.

"Why the fuck are we doing that!?" Hidan complained.

"Sasuke found out about me killing his teammate, and joined up with Konoha to find me. So we're gonna high tail it outta here until they go away." Sakura explained.

"Makes sense." Sasori nodded.

"We leave first thing in the morning, so pack up." They all nodded, heading for their rooms.

It would be a long week.

* * *

**So there you have it! Chapter 12, finally!**

**And Bird Country is real. It borders Rain, Earth, and Wind Countries.**

**Look here:**

**h t t p : / / w w w . l e a f n i n j a . c o m / c o u n t r y . p h p**

**Without the spaces, of course.**

**Oh, and regarding my author's note before the chapter began, my cat came home since then. YAY!**

**And just a head's up, the last week of August, I won't be able to update. I'll be away.  
**

**I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'm sorry for taking so long to update!**

**~China**


	13. Thinking Back

**Hay! It's China!**

**Listen, and listen well. I'm really gonna have to stop updating until I've finished my summer reading, because I have two books to read in less than a week, I have to take notes on them, and then write a paper on them, explaining how they differ and other such things.**

**LOL at that ^^^. I wrote that over a month ago, and I'm back in school now. Just too lazy to delete it.  
**

**So this is the last chapter I'll post for a while.**

**And it'll focus more on Deidara, but it will, at some point, focus on Sakura, and MAYBE some people in Konoha.  
**

**And all you people who keep telling me to use spell check, I CAN'T. I don't have Microsoft Word, I write all my chapters ON . Fanfiction does not have spell check!**

**So BACK THE FUCK OFF.**

**I have nothing left to say, I'm done with you people.**

* * *

Deidara sighed, running his long, slender fingers through his hair. That bastard Uchiha somehow friggin found out about Sakura killing Suigetsu. And now they had to transfer to their retreat base in Bird Country. _Wonderful_.

He packed his things into a large duffle bag, rather messily I might add. He glanced behind him, watching Sakura, who was staring out a window with a blank face. He couldn't imagine how hard it was to deal with all this. She used to be _in love_ with the man who was now chasing them down.

Damn Uchihas.

He'd heard Sakura sigh about seven times in the past three minutes. He admitted, it was a bit annoying. But he couldn't really blame her. He guessed it was a good thing that she stayed in touch with that pale artist. What's his name...oh, yeah. Sai.

Now that he though back on it, he'd asked her if they could be more than friends, but Sai interrupted, so she still hadn't answered his question. But now wasn't the time. He could almost visibly see her suffering. And he hated it.

Though her hair was significantly shorter, it was still long enough to cover her face. Which it did. Hiding the part of her body he loved the most: her face. Her well sculpted eyebrows, her full lips, her button nose. Her eyes. Her eyes stunned him, and he felt lucky to be able to look into them every day.

And I know it sounds corny, but he literally got lost in her eyes. Someone would sometimes have to snap him out of it.

Before long, he found himself finished packing, and helping Sakura pack. It was late at night, and they were both tired. They really needed to get some sleep before the morning.

Deidara smirked, holding up the bottom half of the lingerie set Konan bought her. Sakura blushed heavily, and tried to snatch it away as Deidara held it from her reach. When she finally snatched it from his hands, who's mouths were holding on tightly with their teeth, Deidara shrugged in defeat and settled with a hug. Because she was so damn cute. They settled in their bed and fell fast asleep.

~*~

Sai heaved out a long sigh. It was March 20th. Today, they would leave to find Sakura. Hopefully Sakura got his message, so she would have left. Though he longed to see Sakura again, he knew she wouldn't be happy in Konoha.

A few days ago, he'd heard some medic trainees talking about her. Calling her a traitor, bitch, weakling. Worst of all...

Slut.

Oh, how he'd wanted to wipe those silly smug looks right off their faces and shove their words back down their throats. But Ino, Hinata, Tenten and Temari beat him to it. They'd smacked each and every one of those stupid little trainees right in the back of the head and watched them run with their tails between their legs.

Though he regretted it wasn't him who made them run, he was happy to see them go.

A loud rapping on the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Sai-teme! It's time to go find Haruno!"

Naruto had begun to call Sakura 'Haruno' after their fight. Not that Sai could blame him...Sakura would sometimes call Sasuke 'Uchiha.' The Akatsuki had wiped his memory of the location of the base, and the members, but nothing else.

But that wasn't the point here.

Sai groaned. He _really_ didn't want to do this. But if he defied the Hokage, she might suspect him for being in league with Sakura the whole time. Which he was...but it was different.

He packed up his scrolls and ink, shoving some brushes where ever there was space left. He snatched a bottle of soldier pills from his cabinet and put them in the side compartment.

"SAI-TEME! Hurry UP!"

Judging by Naruto's incessant shouting, he was getting impatient. He packed up the last of his things and headed out the door.

Sai, Naruto and Yamato made their way to the gates to meet with Kakashi, Team Taka, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Shizune, Team Gai, The Rookie Nine, and the Sand Siblings. It was a large team, but neccessary. Just one Akatsuki member would be tough, and there were _ten_ of them.

Tsunade and Jiraiya were the overall leaders of the rescue force, and they simultaneously signaled.

"Let's go!"

~*~

It was morning, and Deidara wanted nothing more than to shut his weary eyes and head back into the realm of nod. But fate had other plans for him.

"Deidara, wake up. Leader's getting ready to leave."

Deidara slowly sat up in bed, only hearing the last half of the sentence. He rubbed his tired eye. He had broken his only scope years ago, much to his displeasure, so both his eyes showed. His left eye was still very sensitive to light, so he covered it with his marigold bangs as best he could.

He'd slept in his clothes to make a quick exit. He stumbled out of his comfortable bed and threw on his cloak. He brushed the knots from his hair and tied his scratched hitai-ate to his forehead.

He hurried down the stairs and met the others at the door. From there, they headed west.

When they travelled, Deidara was assigned the bird's eye view. He constructed a quick clay bird and was airborn within seconds. He'd offered Sakura some room on the bird, but she politely declined as it might give her away. There was no telling how close those from Konoha were already.

Sakura walked between Kisame and Sasori, Hidan was in front of her. She tugged on Sasori's sleeve.

"Sasori, how many bases are there?"

Sasori looked at her for a moment, then answered.

"There are about fifteen or sixteen. Obviously, one in Rain, and one in Bird Country. There are three in Tea Country, two in Wind, one in Fire, three in Lightning, two in River, one in Water, one in Grass, and one in Sound."

Sakura's jaw dropped.

"That many!?"

Sasori nodded and continued. "There's also said to be one in Demon Country and another in Marsh Country, but I've never been to them."

"There's a Demon Country?"

Sasori nodded, then walked ahead to speak with Pein.

~*~

Soon, they were half way to the base in Bird Country, and already in said land. Bird Country stayed true to it's name, as they saw pheasants, quails, ospreys, and even peacocks, strangely enough.

Deidara marvelled at the feel of the air stirred by birds' wings around him. Sakura had never seen him look so at peace.

Many of the birds were friendly, and landed on their shoulders. There were many different species, ranging from sparrows to eagles to lovebirds. One was brave enough to land on Hidan's shoulder and leave droppings on his scythe. Needless to say, Hidan didn't let it get very far, to Sakura's disappointment.

The sun began to set, creating a wide stretch of orange, pink, red and purple colors across the horizon. They stopped near a wide river, and some even decided to take a short swim. Sakura dipped her feet in the cool, stagnant water, letting the cooling sensation reach between her toes.

Deidara soon sneaked behind her, pushing her in the water. Luckily for her, she'd taken off most of her clothes beforehand. She surfaced within seconds and yelled in frustration. As the blonde terrorist offered her a hand, she lugged him into the water as well. She burst out in a fit of laughter as his golden mane of hair dripped down his back.

"I kinda deserved that, yeah." he admitted.

"Y-you did!" she gasped for air, still giggling. "And you set it up for yourself."

They walked back to the camp together, hand in hand. Deidara stopped walking and tensed. Sakura looked at him, confused, but then she heard a barely audible snap of a twig, and took a fighting stance. Leaves rustled in the wind, and they heard nothing but silence.

Then, chaos.

Many different Konoha shinobi burst out from the bushes. Sakura felt tears burn wet trails down her face as she recognized them.

Tsunade, Jiraiya, Naruto, Sasuke, Gaara, Lee...they were all here!

Sai was standing behind Tsunade, giving her an apologetic look.

Suddenly, they all lurched forward, driving their weapons deep within Deidara's heart.

Sakura collapsed, throwing herself into a fit of tears as the genjutsu dispersed. Deidara sat nearby, tears also running down his cheeks. His eyes were glassy and blank. Pein stood before them, not knowing what to do to deal with crying members.

Deidara suddenly snapped from his trance, and shifted his trembling gaze to Sakura. He slowly scooted toward her, and touched her face. Sakura flinched, and Deidara frowned with worry.

Pein stared at them, slowly analyzing the genjutsu. It seemed it was a genjutsu that caused either your worst fear or memory to surface within your mind. Rather than physical damage, this attack was focused on mental stability.

Pein could without a doubt say that the two's worst fears would be the other dying or being killed. What surprised him was that the two got caught in the illusion. Sakura was supposed to be a master of genjutsus, and Deidara was an S-Class Criminal. It must have been of very high skill.

When Deidara and Sakura finally snapped from their vulnerable state, Sakura was the more stable of the two. Deidara, on the other hand, breathed frantically and heavily until he felt Sakura's chakra flare toward him. His breathing returned to normal, but he clung to Sakura. The two stood and Pein helped Sakura half drag the heavier man to camp.

~*~

"Sasuke-kun, someone's been caught in one of my genjutsus." Karin said. Sasuke glanced at her.

"Can you recognize the chakra signals?" he asked. She concentrated hard.

"I can't really recognize them, but one seems familiar." she furrowed her eyebrows, shaking her head. "It's similar to the signal you fought just before that large explosion."

Sasuke glared. She must mean that blonde man. "How many signals are there?"

"About eleven."

Sasuke's eyes grew cold. That was too many to be Akatsuki. Last time he counted, there were only six. If Sakura was really with the Akatsuki, then that would make seven. But the other four...? Maybe there were more members than he though.

Tsunade walked up to the two Taka members with a worried look on her face.

"Naruto says the last time he saw Sakura, she did have an Akatsuki cloak on." Tsunade said, confirming Sasuke's suspicions. "Can you describe what the unknown chakra signals feel like, Karin-san?"

She nodded, concentrating harder. "One's sorta greedy. One is...well the best way to describe it is hungry. One seems childish, how the hell did he get into Akatsuki? Uh...violent...I can only describe the last one. Sort of a calm, kind feeling. Definitely feminine...it's hidden behind an angry, violent mask, almost."

"That's Sakura!" Sai burst.

Karin scowled at how...perfect this Sakura girl sounded, judging by her chakra signals.

"Sounds like Haruno, alright." Naruto nodded, stroking his chin thoughtfully. Everyone raised an eyebrow.

"Since when did you call Sakura 'Haruno'?" Kiba buzzed. "Usually, you'd be screaming about how wonderful Sakura-chan was and how you'd save her from evil clutches."

Naruto snarled. "I could care less what happens to that evil harpy!" Everyone gasped at his fowl name for their beloved kunoichi. Jiraiya had to hold Tsunade back from slugging the dumbass Kyuubi boy upside the head, Shikamaru the same with Ino, and Neji AND Tenten with Lee. Hinata gasped, her fists clenching.

"N-naruto-kun...surely you d-don't mean th-that...?" The fair skinned girl pleaded that it wasn't true, that Naruto could become so cruel. Naruto just glanced at her, his blue eyes ringed with an orange red color.

"I meant every word, Hinata."

Now, you could insult Kiba in front of Hinata, and you could insult Shino. You could even insult Naruto, and she wouldn't really do much. Maybe yell at you, at most. But insult Sakura, who helped her gain more confidence and became her closest friend, and that was it for you. You were going to hell _right then and there._

Hinata lunged at her crush, smacking, hitting, scratching and biting while Kiba tried to pry her off him. Her pearly eyes burned white hot with fury. Kiba finally managed to rip her from Naruto, dragging her away as Hinata gave Naruto a final boot to his chin. Naruto groaned in pain as he sat up, clearly in shock, just like everyone else.

"No one insults Sakura in front of me!" Hinata roared at him.

Shizune sat near Naruto, gradually healing him while he glared daggers at the Hyuuga heiress. After Shizune had healed his more serious wounds, he shoved the dark haired woman away, his pride almost dead.

For the rest of the trip, Hinata didn't talk to Naruto.

~*~

Finally, after two grueling weeks of non stop traveling, they arrived at their base in Bird Country. It was more of a resort or retreat, really, with an outdoor hot spring in the back and special uniform kimonos.

"HOLY SHIT." Was all Sakura could say after staring in awe. She'd only been to such a fancy looking place once, and she hadn't even gotten to go inside that time.

"I know, right?" Hidan said, coming up next to Sakura. She turned to see him staring up at it with her. "I've only fuckin' been here one other time, and I don't remember it being this damn big!"

Sakura looked around as she walked in. Outside, it had the general appearance of a traditional onsen, but on the inside it was definitely more of a base. However, they _were_ allowed to use the springs.

Hidan went into a special room to clean his scythe. He'd used it in every battle possible on the way there, and hadn't cleaned it once. Dried blood and bits of flesh was caked onto all three blades, and it was nasty.

Sakura heard angry shouting and Tobi screaming, which could only mean that Tobi had said or done something silly and Deidara didn't like it one bit. She went to go calm down her favorite arsonist, peeking in the barely open door, but what she saw angered her.

There was Tobi, her bra on his head and her underwear balled in his fist. He was dancing rediculously around the room while Deidara tried to get him to put it down. She decided she'd had enough, and she threw the door open. Tobi and Deidara froze in utter fear as steam was spouting from the girl's ears.

"Tobi..." she growled. The boy in the mask jumped and frantically searched for an exit as he moved backwards. Sakura began taking large steps forward until she reached the silly Akatsuki member. He began violently trembling, searching for some way, _any_ way out. But it was too late, and Tobi soon found himself embedded into a crumbling wall. Deidara soon followed suit. Tobi was whimpering pitifully in terror, but the blonde missing nin was swooning at her sheer power, lust smoldering in his eyes.

By the time Tobi and Deidara scraped themselves off the wall, Sakura was already giggling in the common room with Konan, mood completely changed. The two girls were thoroughly enjoying themselves through all the drama and commotion. They were like sisters.

Zetsu was extremely sad that he had to leave his various plant life behind. He was afraid that the Konoha nin would find them, analyze, and produce an antidote to the poisons they carried. Which was also veru unnerving to Sasori, who specialized in poisons as well as puppetry.

Sakura was laughing about a joke on Tobi, told by Konan, when she was met with Sharingan eyes no further than ten feet away. Seeing those eyes were a constant reminder, more like a slap to face, of Sasuke. All these years she'd been telling herself that she would wait for Sasuke to come home, just _wait_ for him, and he would finally return her undying love for him.

So much for undying.

Her love for him was thrown out the window when Deidara found her that night. When Deidara was around, she could really smile. Around him, she could laugh. She could cry, and he wouldn't call her a crybaby. She felt _safe_ around him.

But did she _love_ him?

Sometimes, Sakura doubted she loved him. Sure, she was fond of him. Sure, they were pretty close. But...love him? She might. She might not. It was too soon to tell. She might not _ever_ tell. And even if she did love him, she doubted that he loved her the same.

Her world was filled with unrequited love. Pain. Sadness. Hurt. Doubt...betrayal. And when she thought of love, she immediately associated it with rejection. She longed never to love any man again.

But love is unpredictable. You have no say at all. It just..._happens_.

But did it _happen_ with Deidara?

Sakura was knocked from her thoughts when Tobi rammed himself into her, rambling incoherent apologies. She smiled pathetically and patted the masked man on the back, being as comforting as she could. She noticed a few broken bones in his back, and healed them without any fuss. Tobi giggled like a little girl and cuddled up to the former Konoha nin like she was a teddy bear.

Tobi was so adorable, like a little brother. She held him very dear, though he had a mysterious aura about him. She wished she knew why, but she had an uneasy feeling when she was left alone with him. He acted so innocent and naive. It shouldn't feel that way with him.

But she pushed those feelings aside, and focused on the others.

Kakuzu she barely talked to. He was always busy counting money, or making money off bounties. He was the oldest of the members, being at an astonishing ninety-one years old. The black tendrils that peeked out from between his stitches freaked her out a bit, but intrigued her more. What also caught her attention was that he could possibly be one of the strongest, physically, of the nine men at such an age. And one of the fittest, to boot.

Zetsu she didn't know much more than Kakuzu, but she did talk to him more frequently. Zetsu was one of the few men int he base she could have a civilized conversation with, be it about plants, poisons, she'd even listen to him about his cannibalism. It somewhat fascinated her, less so than Kakuzu's tendrils. Being a medic, she couldn't help but have a morbid sense of curiosity. Even more, he appeared half plant _himself_. Zetsu hasn't told her anything regarding the venus fly trap-like carapace, but he didn't deny he looked rather like a plant.

Kisame was an old drunkard who loved to play with swords. But he was possibly the most fun of the bunch. She loved to watch him get drunk, then get proceed to be beaten by Itachi for mistaking him for a girl and hitting on 'her'. How his skin got blue raised question about his blood being partly shark, to which he denies. His gills furthered suspicion. He was extremely sensitive about his skin color, and was even more upset over how much more attractive his partner was.

Hidan had his moments. He was rude and impulsive, but underneath that tough exterior, he was a huge softie. The thing he hated most was seeing a girl (that he wasn't sacrificing) cry. Especially one under the age of ten. He always liked children, believe it or not. Just, the feelings were never mutual. Kids would shy away from him. So he hid his true feelings. But Sakura saw how his eyes would soften when passing by a group of playing kids.

Pein was a mystery to her. He was more like a father to her than her biological one ever was. She grew up with her father, but he was always working, or out drinking. He'd even come home drunk once, and threatened her life. After that night, she never saw her father again. It left a large gap in her. Pein was only slightly protective of her, but he tended to take Sakura's side in anything, unless against Konan. He'd once caught a man from another village gawking at her good looks, and proceeded to glare at said man until the ogling ceased. That was more like a jealous boyfriend than a father, but it would be too strange to love Pein like that. And he loved Konan, obviously.

Sasori was a good friend. Sakura had always been one to hang aroung boys more than girls. Sasori reminded her of Sai, a little bit. They were both quick tongued, and loved to tease others, Sai more than Sasori. But the puppet was a more calm and collected person than Sai. Though neither had true emotions, Sasori seemed less awkward around them. Sai had been raised to banish emotions from his vocabulary. Sasori grew up with them, then discarded them altogether. He still showed a few emotions, like anger and irritation.

Itachi was so much like Sasuke in so many ways. Both stoic and aloof, the brothers would be nearly identical, were they the same age. Raven hair, cold ebony eyes, lips tugged downward in an everlasting frown...or one side upward in an arrogant smirk. Another thing that made them alike was their hatred for each other. Itachi claimed never to have truly hated Sasuke, and it may be true, but he seemed much more hostile toward the younger sibling, for unexplained reasons that irked Sakura. Itachi was always much kinder and more courteous to her than his brother. Goes to show that just because you killed your entire family, save for your brother, doesn't mean you're a bad person, necessarily. Okay, maybe it does.

But she definitely, _definitely_ liked Itachi more than Sasuke.

Just then, Deidara walked in the room, demanding that Sakura heal his spine, to which she gladly obliged. She couldn't stand to see her Deidara in pain.

Wait, did she just say _her_ Deidara?

What the hell was going on with her!? First, she's always blushing around him, and now this? Could she...really love him?

~*~

Tsunade, Sai, Naruto and the others stood at an abandoned Akatsuki Base, wondering what the hell happened to the inhabitants. It looked like someone ransacked the place, found nothing, and left the door wide open for others to ransack.

"Well, Uchiha?" Tsunade hissed expectantly. "You said they would be here."

The younger Uchiha heir snapped his eyes toward her, Sharingan activated. "They must have sensed us, and abandoned." he retorted. The tension was rising dangerously, and Hinata was still fuming at the Kyuubi boy, making the tension ten times worse. Poor Juugo stood silently by, twiddling his thumbs in a manor very similar to the Hyuuga heiress.

Naruto was lucky that Hinata got to him before Sai did, or his true feelings might have been revealed, and suspicions of his being in league with Sakura might be raised.

"Now, Tsunade, calm dow-"

"How can I calm down, Jiraiya!? My goddamn apprentice has been kidnapped by the most feared organization in all the Great Nations! She's practically a daughter to me!" she wailed, breaking down into painful sobs as Shizune and the shocked Toad Sage proceeded to comfort her as best they could. Hinata couldn't hold the tears back, and the transparent liquid began spilling down her ivory cheeks.

All the while, they were being watched. A large venus fly trap sprouted from the trunk of a rather large tree, secretly spying on the large team. He chuckled darkly at how easily it fell apart over a single girl.

Leader would be pleased.

* * *

**Well, I'm glad I finally got this chapter up! After, what, almost two months? HOLY CRAP!!!**

**Sigh. I have a Chemistry Quiz tomorrow. Wish me luck!**

**And I just received word that a relative of mine has died. And please don't hate me for this, but...**

**I don't really care.**

**I never even knew he existed until a month ago. I'm 17, for cryin' out loud. He leaves my poor mother fatherless, doesn't speak to my sister, mother _or_ me for my entire life...then he develops cancer in his skin and dies. Considering he never even spoke to me, I barely know him.**

**It's almost like he's not a part of my family.**

**I mean, I'm a _little_ sad, but that's about it.  
**

**I'm sorry if that offended you. It's just the way I feel.  
**

**I love you guys no matter what.**

**~China**


	14. Broken Hearts

**Mwahahahaha!!! I got the best idea ever!!! But you won't find out until later in the story.**

**Hate me for it if you want.**

**I know I haven't updated in a LONG time, but I've had a lot of work. School. Sucks.**

**Especially Chemistry. It's so boring, and hard too. But the professor is really nice, and has a spiffy British accent. And you know how we say "sitting like a bump on a log"? They say "sitting like a stuffed banana"! That's so awesome! I'm never using bump-on-a-log again!  
**

**And, by the way, I already know EXACTLY how I want this story to end. And I already have a sequel planned out. This story will have a few more chapters, four at the very least, and then I will commence work on the sequel.**

**By the way...  
**

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!  
**

**And soon, within 2010, I will do a series of one-shots, with all the possible pairings of AkaSaku, and one with just AkaSaku in general. And a SaiSaku oneshot. MAYBE a SuiSaku.**

**AND, I'm planning a Dramione Fic! It'll be ranging from 14-18 chapters long, and it will be my very first Harry Potter Fanfiction!  
**

**Anyways, enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Plot of the story belongs to ME, though.**

* * *

Hinata sighed, staring up at the night sky, wondering if Sakura knew how much they all missed her. How much they all wanted her back. And she knew, deep down, Naruto wanted her back, too. She just knew it.

But from what Naruto had told the others, she seemed happier there. And is Sakura was happy, well Hinata couldn't complain. Sakura was her best friend, and all she could possibly wish for was just her happiness.

"...Hinata?"

Hinata turned around, and there was Ino, just barely sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She crawled over to Hinata's side, and sat silently. They stared up in silence at the sparkling stars, waiting for one or the other to break the silence.

"...Do you think Sakura thinks about us?" Ino said, her voice barely above a whisper, "In Akatsuki, I mean."

Hinata glanced at her, finding some comfort in her words.

"I...I hope so."

Four more moments of silence passed by.

"Ino...I need to tell you something," Hinata started out, "I over heard the others talking about it."

Ino reached into her bag, pulling out a bunch of grapes. She offered Hinata some, and the shy Hyuuga girl gladly took a few.

"Well, now's the time to say it, so sure, talk away."

Hinata wasn't sure how Ino would take this. Hopefully she wouldn't blow it out of proportion and wake the sleeping shinobi, but Ino had to be told, it involved her directly.

"U-Um...well, I heard Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama talking in their tents...a-and..."

"Well?" Ino said impatiently, "Go on!"

"U-Uh...Jiraiya said if Sakura-chan refused to come back to K-Konoha...they would...um..."

Ino groaned, gripping Hinata by the shoulders and shook her violently, while still minding to keep her voice down.

"What did he say!?"

"H-He said they would have to k-kill Sakura-chan!"

Ino froze.

"N...no..." she whispered.

"A-And they also said that they'll take you and I down, too, because we're close with Sakura-chan. A-And Temari-chan and Tenten-chan as well! And they think one of two things."

"And those two things are...?"

"Th-They think we'll either try and stop them from killing Sakura-chan, or they think w-we were on the A-Akatsuki's side all along."

Ino fought the urge to roar and slug every other shinobi in the face. How _dare_ they think she's against the village! And Hinata, too! Hinata's so innocent...how could they _ever_ think such things of them!?

"Hinata..."

Said girl looked up from her intense stare on her twiddling fingers, her face a bit flushed.

"Y-Yes, Ino-chan...?"

Ino took a deep breath, making sure she was making the right decision. Yes, she believed it was.

"Let's leave."

~*~

Sakura stared out her window, gazing at the stars. Little did she know, her two best friends were doing the same thing, under the same sky. She heard a two-tones voice, along with a monotonous one from the room below her. Deidara was fast asleep in the bed, and suddenly, Zetsu, using his Mayfly jutsu, poked his head into the room from the ground.

"Sakura, Leader wished to see you. **I suggest you not keep him waiting.**" he said. And with that, he disappeared.

"_Another_ private meeting with leader, hm?"

Sakura turned around, but her eyes were met with a topless Deidara. She blushed heavily.

She had been frequently called to private meetings with Leader about their current situation, but Deidara knew this one was more important than the others. _Much_ more important.

"Sakura..."

Sakura stopped in the doorway, turning to acknowledge Deidara.

"Yes...?"

He paused, hoping these were the right words to say.

"Whatever you choose...I love you."

Sakura gasped, stunned. Her heart skipped a beat, and began to go faster as if to make up for lost time. Her breathing became strained.

"I..."

"You don't have to answer me, Sakura. I understand if you don't-"

"I love you too, Deidara."

His eyes began to tear with joy, and he grinned at her. She smiled back, before running over to him and throwing her arms around him. She smiled sweetly, and he grinned down at her. Their eyes met, and for a split second, they felt as if there was a real spark. Before anything else was done, Deidara leaned down, holding the back of Sakura's head with one hand, and crashed his lips down on hers.

Sakura moved her lips with his, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling herself closer to him. They broke apart minutes later to catch their breath, and within seconds, their lips were upon the other's again.

Deidara licked her bottom lip, asking for entrance. She gladly gave in, opening her mouth to let him in. Their tongues battled for dominance, and Sakura moaned loudly as they toppled down onto the bed, their mouths not separating.

And they had no idea that Itachi was listening from the hallway.

~*~

"L-Leave?" Hinata gasped, "Ino-chan, are you sure?"

"Yes, Hinata-chan. C'mon, they were going to kill us either way! Were you really just going to let them!?"

"B-But we can't go against Konoha!"

"And why not? Sakura-chan did!"

Hinata frowned. "Sakura-chan was _kidnapped_. Then she came to like her new life, so she stayed." Ino quickly nodded, as if that proved her point.

"So, maybe we will like that life, too! C'mon, Hinata-chan! Please!"

Hinata was torn. She loved Ino and Sakura, they were her two best friends. But she also felt loyal to Konoha!

She thought back on all the times in Konoha. Always mocked because of her shyness, and her eyes, never being able to live up to her family's expectations, and most of all not being able to confess to Naruto.

And then she thought back on all the times with Sakura and Ino. Hours spent on the childrens' swings - even though they knew they were too old, laughing away, hot summer days swimming in the pond, snowball fights in the winter, smelling wildflowers in the spring and jumping in leaf piles in the autumn.

Sleep overs, containing horror movies that made the three teenagers sleep with a nightlight, and cheesey romantic chick flicks that brought tears to their eyes. Nights out on the town, it was mostly Ino doing things as Hinata was too shy and Sakura too stubborn. With the help of Sakura and Ino, Hinata's stuttering had gotten better.

Being there to comfort one another. When Sasuke left the village, it was Ino and Hinata who opened their arms for Sakura. When Asuma-sensei was killed, it was Hinata and Sakura who lent Ino a shoulder to cry on. And whenever Hinata was teased about how she blushes around Naruto, It was Sakura and Ino who were there to chase away her fears.

_Screw Konoha._

"Alright, Ino-chan." Hinata said, her voice barely louder than the whistling wind.

"Hinata-chan!" Ino whispered harshly, enveloping her friend in a crushing embrace. Ino was deeply relieved that Hinata had agreed.

"Ino-chan, let's go pack our belongings."

Ino nodded, following her friend into their two man tent, scooping up as many of their things as they could possibly carry, and dumping them all in their bags. Ino's was stuffed, her being the girl she is she packed many, _many_ things; while Hinata's had some room to spare. If they were accepted into the Akatsuki, perhaps they could return to Konoha to retrieve any other belongings.

The two considered waking Temari and Tenten to inform them of their plan, but neither girls were in their respective tents. They sadly shrugged it off, and continued on.

The two had been traveling for nearly ten minutes, swiftly weaving in and out of branches and leaves, when Ino bumped into something, or rather someone, knocking both people off the branch they were perched on. Hinata heard a violent curse, and the sounds of blades scraping against each other. Hinata got into her defensive position, while Ino took on a more offensive position. Just as the one with a large, round _something_ on her back was about to strike, the second stopped her.

"Wait a sec...Hinata-chan? Ino-chan?"

Hinata knew that voice anywhere.

"Temari-chan!?" Hinata cried.

"And Ten-chan, too!" Ino cried as well, as both girls came out from the shadows. All four girls let out a sigh of relief, Hinata's the biggest.

"Y-You scared us, T-Ten-chan!" Hinata said between breaths. Tenten giggled, rubbing the back of her neck nervously.

"Sorry, Hinata-chan."

But all four girls were thinking the same thing.

"So...what are you two doing out here?" Ino wondered out loud. Tenten and Temari froze, completely stiff. Hinata had a hunch.

"Um...we, uh..." Temari said, trying to think of what to say. Tenten intervened to help her.

"Promise you won't tell anyone?" Tenten begged. Ino and Hinata slowly nodded, both seeming to know where this was going.

"Well...we're leaving Konoha and Suna."

Hinata nodded, and Ino sighed with relief again. She spoke up.

"Good, so are we."

Temari and Tenten's sad, pained expressions were replaced with those of confusion.

"Really?" Temari asked, skeptical. Hinata nodded.

"I-I overheard Jiraiya and Tsunade talking about s-something," she whispered, "They said they would k-kill Sakura-chan, a-and then kill us four as well."

Temari nodded. "We heard the same thing." she continued, "So, where are you guys going to go?"

"We were going to find Sakura-chan." Ino said.

Tenten and Temari looked at each other. Temari spoke up.

"We were going to find Kirigakure and see if they would let us become citizens, but your plan sounds better," she said, "mind if we tag along?"

Hinata beamed at them.

"Not at all!"

Just as they were about to set off to find their friend, a voice stopped them.

"Stay where you are."

They all froze, too afraid to turn around. Hinata clenched her fists, and Ino slowly, slowly angled her neck to see...

Sai.

~*~

Itachi gasped. He knew it would happen this way, he knew it. He would fall in love, and she would fall for another, leaving him heartbroken. But knowing was what made it hurt even worse. His breathing accelerated, he gulped, trying to hold back the tears, but they were coming fast. He told himself he would never cry, never.

But he couldn't stop them.

The sound of Sakura giggling against Deidara's lips made his chest pound painfully. He turned quickly, Sakura's confession to Deidara echoing in his head over and over. At least he hadn't confessed to her yet...the rejection would have killed him.

He felt his chest ache as he saw Deidara's hands roam over her body. He wished those were _his_ hands. He wished those were _his_ lips she were kissing. He wished it was _him_ who she loved.

He stood, his heart lurching with every giggle, every sigh, every moan, groan, smacking of the lips that he heard from halfway down the hall. Small trails from tears cooled his warm cheeks as he felt a small breeze while walking. All the doors he passed, all the turns he took, every step, he could still hear them, the sounds haunting him. He finally reached his and Kisame's room. He dejectedly pushed open the door.

"Yo, Itachi."

Kisame was sitting in a chair, tending to his Samehada. He grinned at his partner and friend, but Itachi merely walked past him, plopping down on the bed and staring down at his limp hands. Kisame raised an eyebrow, about to ask what had happened, when Deidara and Sakura walked down the hall hand in hand, blissful smiles stretching across their faces. Itachi flinched, throwing a kunai at the door, the force causing it to slam shut. He hung his head in his hands, his raven hair spilling between his fingers. And then Kisame understood.

"Oh, I see," he said.

Kisame stood, placing Samehada down and sat next to his partner.

"So you saw them." the blue man said. Itachi just sat there. "It must be hard, loving someone," he began, "Only to have them love another." Itachi sprung his head from his hands.

"How did you-"

"Itachi, practically all the members know," Kisame said. "Deidara and Sakura themselves may be the only ones who don't."

Itachi flinched.

"Even Leader..."

"Duh, Itachi."

Itachi groaned. He certainly did not want Leader to know. Itachi could feel more tears.

"Wh...what do I do...Kisame?"

Kisame could see his friend was torn apart by seeing the couple. He walked to the Uchiha, sat next to him, and placed a hand on his back.

"You bear with it."

~*~

Hinata gulped. Sai looked angry, and ready to attack. Her hand inched to her kunai holster. She didn't want to hurt Sai, but if push came to shove, she would give it her all. She was determined to leave, and she would not let Danzo's little lackey get in her way.

But Sai sighed, slowly lowering his kunai.

"I know where you're going, Hinata," Sai said, in his normal calm tone. He took a step toward the quartet, and the girls all tensed in their battle positions. He took another step, and Tenten jerked to run, but her iron will told her body to stay put.

"And..." he whispered, "...I'm not going to stop you."

Ino's eyes widened, and she dropped her tiny poisoned senbon needle. Temari cautiously set her Tessen Folding Fan to lean on a large boulder. Tenten collapsed to the ground, and Hinata was the only one who stood, hand still hovering over her holster. Sai reached behind him, and Hinata tensed, only to loosen up when he pulled out his scroll.

Sai had different scrolls; One for drawing for his Choju Giga technique, and one for sending messages. This was definitely his messaging scroll, indicated by the blue border.

"I stayed in contact with Sakura since the last time I saw her," he began, and started to furiously write a few words, before handing it over to the shy heiress. "This message will fly straight to Sakura, no stopping between. Only she, and those she gives permission to, can see the words in this message."

Hinata reached over, snatching the scroll from his outstretched hand. She wrote a few sentences, then handed it to Ino, who in turn handed it to Temari, and after she had written, handed it to Tenten. They handed it back to Sai, and with a swift motion of the hands, brought the message to life. It took the form of a fish, and jumped into the nearby stream, on it's way to Sakura.

* * *

**Finally, I finished the next chapter of SOB. I'm sorry it took forever!**

**And I'm also sorry it's not as long as usual.  
**

**And if any of you who follow this story actually like Dramione, which would you rather see me do:**

**Idea 1: A Multiple chapter story telling the tale of Draco and Hermione's growing love throughout their years at hogwarts**

**OR**

**Idea 2: A fic where Draco is part Veela, and Hermione is his mate?**

**Choose wisely.**

**Anyways, I'm off to see the wizard.**

**The wonderful wizard of OZ.**

**~China**


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